Densification mechanism during reactive hot pressing of B4C-ZrO2 mixtures

The densification behaviors of pure B₄C and B₄C-ZrO₂ mixtures were compared during hot pressing. The results showed that in-situ formed ZrB₂ effectively enhanced the densification process of B₄C-ZrO₂ mixtures, more significantly during the intermediate stage. Within the relative density ranging from 0.75 to 0.90, the B₄C-15?wt%ZrO₂ mixture (B15Z) achieved the maximum densification rate as twice much as that of pure B₄C. The stress exponent n>3 indicated plastic deformation was the dominant densification mechanism of B15Z. The viscosities of plastic flow were evaluated using Murray-Rodger-William equation and the viscosity of B15Z was only a quarter of that in pure B₄C. The sintering activation energy was calculated to be 305.9?kJ/mol for pure B₄C and 197?kJ/mol for B15Z, respectively. It was proposed that the lower viscosity of plastic flow and activation energy accelerated the sliding and propagating motions of plastic flow, by which underlain the enhanced densification behaviors of B₄C-ZrO₂ mixtures.     

Effects of spark plasma sintering on ferroelectricity of 0.8Bi3.15Nd0.85Ti3O12-0.2CoFe2O4 composite ceramic

The 0.8Bi_3.15Nd_0.85Ti₃O₁₂ (BNdT)-0.2CoFe₂O₄ (CFO) composite multiferroic ceramics have been fabricated by spark plasma sintering (SPS) at 850?°C. The relative density of as-sintered SPS ceramic reaches 97.4 (±0.3)%. The composites are composed of pure BNdT and CFO phases without any preferred c-orientation. The a-orientation preference is more obvious perpendicular to the pressure direction. The average grain-sizes of BNdT and CFO are 163 and 146?nm, respectively. The BNdT phase has more grains below 100?nm (～20%). The super energy-dispersive X-ray analyses suggest no serious reaction between BNdT and CFO. The Raman spectrum verifies the nano-structure of the SPS ceramic via the broadening bands and peak shifts. The Curie temperature of the SPS ceramic declines to 560?°C with stabilized dielectric loss. The grain boundary resistance plays a dominant role on impedance above 700?°C. The remanent polarization approaches to 15.2?μC/cm² (300?kV/cm) with lower coercive fields (?89/+95?kV/cm).     

Effect of sintering aids on the densification and electrical properties of SiO2 –containing Ce0.8Sm0.2O1.9 ceramic

In this work, five different metal-oxide additives (metal?=?Ba, Co, Fe, Li, and Mn) were examined as sintering aids and SiO₂ impurity scavengers for Ce_0.8Sm_0.2O_1.9 (SDC). 2?mol% additives were loaded into the SDC with ～150?ppm (moderately impure) and ～2000?ppm (highly impure) SiO₂. Ba-, Co-, Fe- and Mn-oxides showed comparative sintering-aid effect on both moderately- and highly-impure SDC specimens, but the sintering-assisting effect of Li-oxide was completely neutralized in highly impure SDC. Regarding electrical property, the deleterious effect of 2000?ppm SiO₂ impurity on the grain-boundary conduction of SDC can be effectively alleviated by adding Ba-, Co-, Fe-, or Mn-oxides. Microstructure analysis revealed that Ba-oxide reacted directly with SiO₂ and consequently enhanced grain-boundary conduction. By contrast, with the addition of Co-, Fe-, and Mn-oxides, the improved grain-boundary conductions of impure SDC were related to the scavenging reactions between Si, Ca (another original impurity) and Sm components.     

Effect of sintering temperature on electrical properties of SiC/ZrB2 ceramics

SiC/20?wt% ZrB₂ composite ceramics were fabricated via pressureless solid phase sintering in argon atmosphere at different temperature. The effect of sintering temperature on microstructure, electrical properties and mechanical properties of SiC/ZrB₂ ceramics was investigated. Electrical resistivity exhibits twice significant decreases with increasing sintering temperature. The first decrease from 1900?°C to 2000?°C is attributed to the obvious decrease of continuous pore channels in as-sintered materials. The second decrease from 2100?°C to 2200?°C results from the improvement of carbon crystallization and the disappearance of amorphous layers enveloping ZrB₂ grains. Additionally, the increase of sintered density with increasing temperature caused greatly advance of flexural strength, elastic modulus and Vickers hardness. But excessive temperature is detrimental to flexural strength because of SiC grain growth.     

Thermo-physical properties of as deposited and aged thermal barrier coatings (TBC) for gas turbines: State-of-the art and advanced TBCs

In the perspective of fuelling the future generations of gas turbines by hydrogen rich syngas, the evaluation of the effect of a higher water vapour content into the flue gases on the TBC used, or potentially usable, is a need. For this purpose YPSZ APS TBC with two different microstructures have been exposed for 500?h at different temperatures in the range 1000?°C–1250?°C either in air and air +20% vol. H₂O. The comparison between the different testing conditions has been performed in terms of sintering kinetics and phase stability, as evaluated by thermal diffusivity measurements and Synchrotron X-Rays diffraction, respectively. Furthermore the characterisation of thermal properties of two innovative TBCs (GZO-YPSZ and YAG) potentially able to withstand the CMAS attack and erosive environments, respectively, has been carried out.No clear evidence of a different behaviour of TBC has been observed, at least in the considered aging time and temperature range.     

Sintering behaviour and microwave dielectric properties of BaAl2−2x(ZnSi)xSi2O8 ceramics

BaAl_2?2x(ZnSi)_xSi₂O₈ (x = 0.2–1.0) ceramics were prepared using the conventional solid-state reaction method. The sintering behaviour, phase composition and microwave dielectric properties of the prepared compositions were then investigated. All compositions showed a single phase except for x = 0.8. By substituting (Zn_0.5Si_0.5)³⁺ for Al³⁺ ions, the optimal sintering temperatures of the compositions decreased from 1475 °C (x = 0) to 1000 °C (x = 0.8), which then slightly increased to 1100 °C (x = 1.0). Moreover, the phase stability of BaAl₂Si₂O₈ was improved. A novel BaZnSi₃O₈ microwave dielectric ceramic was obtained at the sintering temperature of 1100 °C. This ceramic possesses good microwave dielectric properties with ε_r = 6.60, Q × f = 52401 GHz (at 15.4 GHz) and τ_f = ?24.5 ppm/°C.     

Influence of whisker-aspect-ratio on densification,microstructure and mechanical properties of Al2O3 whiskers-reinforced CeO2-stabilized ZrO2 composites

A novel composite of 12 mol% CeO₂-stablized tetragonal ZrO₂ reinforced with Al₂O₃ whiskers (designated as Ce-TZP/A_w) has been prepared and studied in this work. The objective of this investigation was to systematically study the influence of whisker-aspect-ratio on the densification behaviors, microstructure evolution, and mechanical properties of Ce-TZP/A_w composite. Results showed that the sintered density of composite increased and the grain growth tended to diminish with the decrease in whisker aspect radio. Both the fracture toughness and flexural strength reached maximum values of 475 ± 12 MPa and 11.4 ± 0.2 MPa m^1/2, respectively at a whisker aspect ratio of about 12. It was also observed that the fracture toughness, flexural strength and tetragonal to monoclinic ZrO₂ transformation of the dual-phase composite exhibited similar variation trend as a function of the whisker-aspect-ratio, which suggested that the stress-induced phase transformation should be the main toughening and strengthening mechanism in the Ce-TZP/A_w composite.     

Effect of the sintering temperature on microstructure and properties of Al2O3–Cu–Ni hybrid composites obtained by PPS

In the present research, the influence of sintering temperature on the microstructure and properties of Al₂O₃–Cu–Ni hybrid composites prepared by the Pulse Plasma Sintering (PPS) technique were described. In this research, three temperatures have been selected: 1250°C, 1300°C, and 1350°C. SEM observations were carried out to determine the distribution of the metallic phase in the composite depending on the sintering temperature. The conducted experiments and microscopic observations enabled a better understanding of the phenomena occurring between the ceramic matrix and metallic phase in the obtained materials. The mechanical properties like a hardness and fracture toughness were measured. The technology applied allowed us to obtain ceramic-metal composites with a homogeneous microstructure. It was found that the sintering temperature influences the selected physical and mechanical properties of the composites produced. It was found that samples produced at 1300°C are characterized by the highest relative density and the mechanical properties.     

Biomineralization,strength and cytocompatibility improvement of bredigite scaffolds through doping/coating

Coprecipitation-derived, sacrificial polymeric (urethane) foam-fabricated bredigite (Ca₇MgSi₄O₁₆) scaffolds were processed by individual and combined treatments of fluoride doping and poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) coating and then studied in terms of structure, mechanical strength, bioactivity and cell biocompatibility in vitro. According to scanning electron microscopy and Archimedes porosimetry, the geometrical characteristics of pores for all the scaffolds are in the appropriate range for hard tissue regeneration applications. The apatite-formation ability of the samples immersed in a simulated body fluid is improved by doping for both the bare and coated conditions, based on microscopic and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopic analyses. Both the treatments advantageously buffer physiological pH changes imposed due to the fast bioresorption of the ceramic. Also, the biodegradable PLGA coating typically enhances the compressive strength of the scaffolds, which is critical for bone tissue engineering. In accordance with the MTT assay on osteoblast-like cells (MG-63) cultures, both the processes individually enhance the cell viability, while the highest improvement is obtained for the combined application of them. It is finally concluded that fluoride doping and PLGA coating are impressive approaches to improve the bioperformance of bredigite-based scaffolds.     

Al2O3–CaO macroporous ceramics containing hydrocalumite-like phases

A mechanism to explain the lower onset strengthening temperature induced by CaCO₃ in alumina-based macroporous ceramics is proposed, which relies on hydrocalumite-like phase formation during processing. Close to 600 °C, such phases are decomposed to lime and mayenite (12CaO·7Al₂O₃), where the latter, due to its intrinsic nanoporosity and high thermal reactivity, generates bonds between the ceramic particles at ∼700 °C, resulting in microstructure strengthening. Based on this premise, the authors concluded that other Ca²⁺ sources could act similarly. Indeed, compositions containing Ca(OH)₂ or CaO showed the same effect on the onset strengthening temperature, which reinforces the proposed mechanism. The results attained indicated that macroporous insulators could be thermally treated at lower temperatures, just to acquire enough mechanical strength for installation, finishing in-situ their firing process. Besides that, lower sintering temperatures could be used to produce macroporous ceramics that would be applied in low thermal demand environments, e.g. aluminum industries.