Samples were pressed in the armadil

Samples were pressed in the armadillo die at pressures ranging from 90 to 530 MPa using thesinterometer, an automatic hydraulic press designed and built by the Maria group specifically for in situ monitoring of low-temperature densification processes [19]. This instrument includes a linear displacement sensor that tracks compaction as a function of time during densification experiments, ultimately providing the opportunity to plot sintegrams—compaction traces of densification experiments that are corrected to account for die thermal expansion. These sintegrams provide information similar to that obtained from a dilatometer or calorimeter; however, data can be collected under the unique pressure and temperature conditions exhibited in HAD and cold sintering. More details about sinterometer design and function are described in Floyd et al. [19].