A major feature of the conventional

A major feature of the conventional sintering technique is the high sintering temperature and longer duration needed for the consolidation of the ceramic particles which often leads to extreme coarsening of grains and decomposition of the ceramic, causing the mechanical properties to deteriorate [25,26]. Due to the high melting temperature required for numerous ceramics, conventional sintering is normally accomplished between ˜ 50%–75% of their melting points, as a rule of thumb [27]. For oxides, the temperature at which sintering takes place is typically > 1000 °C and over a few hours, though sintering profiles can extend to days [19,23]. Additionally, the chemical stoichiometry of the end product from this sintering approach may differ due to volatilisation of elements such as Pb, Bi, K and Na or where co-firing of different materials (e.g. electrode-ceramic co-fired MLCCs) are involved, resulting into property and crystal structure deviation triggered by the alteration of defects concentration or intergranular diffusion [28–33].