Various embodiments of the disclosure provide methods using spark plasma sintering (SPS) at moderate temperatures and moderate pressures to fabricate high-density graphite material. The moderate temperatures may be temperatures not exceeding about 1200 C. The moderate pressures may be pressures not exceeding about 300 MPa. The high density exhibited by the resulting, sintered, high-density graphite material may be greater than about 1.75 g/cm.sup.3 (e.g., greater than about 2.0 g/cm.sup.3).

A conductive paste included in inner electrodes of a multilayer ceramic capacitor is fired and includes a conductive metal powder, a ceramic powder, an organic solvent, and an organic binder. The conductive metal powder includes copper, and at least a portion of the ceramic powder is a powder of at least one oxide of an ABO.sub.3 type with a specified ionic radius in which a ratio of a six-coordinate ionic radius of an A-site element in ABO.sub.3 to a six-coordinate ionic radius of copper is about 0.96 or greater and about 1.04 or less.

A conductive paste included in inner electrodes of a multilayer ceramic capacitor is fired and includes a conductive metal powder, a ceramic powder, an organic solvent, and an organic binder. The conductive metal powder includes copper, and at least a portion of the ceramic powder is a powder of at least one oxide of an ABO.sub.3 type with a specified ionic radius in which a ratio of a six-coordinate ionic radius of an A-site element in ABO.sub.3 to a six-coordinate ionic radius of copper is about 0.96 or greater and about 1.04 or less.