The effect of spark plasma sintering (SPS) on the densification of TiO2 ceramics was investigated using a nanocrystalline TiO2 powder. A fully-dense TiO2 specimen with an average grain size of similar to200 nm was obtained by SPS at 700degreesC for I h. In contrast, a theoretical density specimen could only be obtained using conventional sintering above 900degreesC for I h with an average grain size of 1-2 mum. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.