Densification mechanism and microstructure characteristics of nano- and micro- crystalline alumina by high-pressure and low temperature sintering

Fully dense ceramics with retarded grain growth can be attained effectively at relatively low temperatures using a high-pressure sintering method. However, there is a paucity of in-depth research on the densification mechanism, grain growth process, grain boundary characterization, and residual stress. Using a strong, reliable die made from a carbon-fiber-reinforced carbon (C_f/C) composite for spark plasma sintering, two kinds of commercially pure α-Al₂O₃ powders, with average particle sizes of 220 nm and 3 μm, were sintered at relatively low temperatures and under high pressures of up to 200 MPa. The sintering densification temperature and the starting threshold temperature of grain growth (T_sg) were determined by the applied pressure and the surface energy relative to grain size, as they were both observed to increase with grain size and to decrease with applied pressure. Densification with limited grain coarsening occurred under an applied pressure of 200 MPa at 1050 °C for the 220 nm Al₂O₃ powder and 1400 °C for the 3 μm Al₂O₃ powder. The grain boundary energy, residual stress, and dislocation density of the ceramics sintered under high pressure and low temperature were higher than those of the samples sintered without additional pressure. Plastic deformation occurring at the contact area of the adjacent particles was proved to be the dominant mechanism for sintering under high pressure, and a mathematical model based on the plasticity mechanics and close packing of equal spheres was established. Based on the mathematical model, the predicted relative density of an Al₂O₃ compact can reach ～80 % via the plastic deformation mechanism, which fits well with experimental observations. The densification kinetics were investigated from the sintering parameters, i.e., the holding temperature, dwell time, and applied pressure. Diffusion, grain boundary sliding, and dislocation motion were assistant mechanisms in the final stage of sintering, as indicated by the stress exponent and the microstructural evolution. During the sintering of the 220 nm alumina at 1125 °C and 100 MPa, the deformation tends to increase defects and vacancies generation, both of which accelerate lattice diffusion and thus enhance grain growth.     

A novel approach for bulk micromachining of 4H-SiC by tool-based electrolytic plasma etching in HF-free aqueous solution

Bulk micromachining of single-crystal SiC has been challenging due to its extreme stability both mechanically and chemically. To address this issue, a novel tool-based electrolytic plasma etching method is proposed, with which micropatterns and micro-holes are fabricated in SiC in a hydrofluoric acid-free aqueous solution with no need for masks. The material removal is the result of the combined effects of electrolytic plasma chemistry and physics. The chemistry refers to the reaction of Si with hydroxyl radical to form various SiO_x and with H to form silanes, and the reactions of C to form volatile carbon oxides or hydrocarbons, all of which are accomplished and enhanced under the electrolytic plasma atmosphere. Besides, the local high temperature of plasma thermally promotes the evaporation or dissolution of SiO₂ in NaOH solution. The tool-based electrolytic plasma etching method provides alternative approaches for the fabrication of SiC-based MEMS and devices.     

Turbulent boundary layer control with a spanwise array of DBD plasma actuators

The turbulent boundary layer control on NACA 0012 airfoil with Mach number ranging from 0.3 to 0.5 by a spanwise array of dielectric barrier discharge(DBD)plasma actuators by hot-film sensor technology is investigated.Due to temperature change mainly caused through heat produced along with plasma will lead to measurement error of shear stress measured by hot-film sensor,the correction method that takes account of the change measured by another sensor is used and works well.In order to achieve the value of shear stress change,we combine computational fluid dynamics computation with experiment to calibrate the hot-film sensor.To test the stability of the hot-film sensor,seven repeated measurements of shear stress at Ma = 0.3 are conducted and show that confidence interval of hot-film sensor measurement is from-0.18 to 0.18 Pa and the root mean square is 0.11 Pa giving a relative error 0.5％over all Mach numbers in this experiment.The research on the turbulent boundary layer control with DBD plasma actuators demonstrates that the control makes shear stress increase by about 6％over the three Mach numbers,which is thought to be reliable through comparing it with the relative error 0.5％,and the value is hardly affected by burst frequency and excitation voltage.     

Effect of suspension characteristics on the performance of thermal barrier coatings deposited by suspension plasma spray

This paper investigates the influence of suspension characteristics on microstructure and performance of suspensions plasma sprayed (SPS) thermal barrier coatings (TBCs). Five suspensions were produced using various suspension characteristics, namely, type of solvent and solid load content, and the resultant suspensions were utilized to deposit five different TBCs under identical processing conditions. The produced TBCs were evaluated for their performance i.e. thermal conductivity, thermal cyclic fatigue (TCF) and thermal shock (TS) lifetime. This experimental study revealed that the differences in the microstructure of SPS TBCs produced using varied suspensions resulted in a wide-ranging overall TBC performance. All TBCs exhibited thermal conductivity lower than 1 W/(m. K) except water-ethanol mixed suspension produced TBC. The TS lifetime was also affected to a large extent where 10 wt % solid loaded ethanol and 25 wt % solid loaded water suspensions produced TBCs exhibited the highest and the lowest lifetime, respectively. On the contrary, TCF lifetime was not as significantly affected as thermal conductivity and TS lifetime, and all ethanol suspensions showed marginally better TCF lifetime than water and ethanol-water mixed suspensions deposited TBCs.     

Effect of environmental pressure on the microstructure of YSZ thermal barrier coating via suspension plasma spraying

Suspension plasma spraying (SPS) as a potential technique to prepare thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) has been attracting more and more attention. However, most reports on SPS were carried out in the atmosphere. Given the unique features of in-flight particles and plasma jets under low pressure, the resulting coatings are expected to be different from those under atmospheric pressure. In this article, yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) thermal barrier coatings were prepared using suspension plasma spraying under different environmental pressures. The results show that as the environmental pressure decreased, the column-like structural coating turned into a vertical crack segmented structure, as well as a dramatic decrease in surface roughness. More nanoparticle agglomerates were formed in the coating under lower environmental pressures. The real porosity of the coating increased with a decrease in environmental pressure.     

Investigation the effect of FeNiCoCrMo HEA addition on properties of B4C ceramic prepared by spark plasma sintering

In this study, monolithic B₄C and B₄C-based ceramics incorporating FeNiCoCrMo dual-phase (FCC and BCC) high entropy alloys (HEAs) were produced by spark plasma sintering (SPS). The effect of additives on the densification behavior, mechanical properties, microstructures, and phase evaluation of the samples were investigated. X-ray analysis confirmed the existence of FCC structured HEA and depletion of BCC structured HEA, after high-temperature reaction between B₄C-HEAs. The addition of HEAs enhanced the densification behavior by liquid phase sintering. Furthermore, hardness and fracture toughness values of the samples increased with increasing HEAs content. Fracture toughness and hardness values for all composites were higher than the monolithic B₄C. A combination of the highest density (∼99.22 %) and the best mechanical properties (32.3 GPa hardness and 4.53 MPa m^1/2 fracture toughness) was achieved with 2.00 vol.% HEA addition.     

Numerical study on laminar burning velocity of ammonia flame with methanol addition

The combustion characteristics of ammonia/methanol mixtures were investigated numerically in this study. Methanol has a dramatic promotive effect on the laminar burning velocity (LBV) of ammonia. Three mechanisms from literature and another four self-developed mechanisms constructed in this study were evaluated using the measured laminar burning velocities of ammonia/methanol mixtures from Wang et al. (Combust.Flame. 2021). Generally, none of the selected mechanisms can precisely predict the measured laminar burning velocities at all conditions. Aiming to develop a simplified and reliable mechanism for ammonia/methanol mixtures, the constructed mechanism utilized NUI Galway mechanism (Combust.Flame. 2016) as methanol sub-mechanism and the Otomo mechanism (Int. J. Hydrogen. Energy. 2018) as ammonia sub-mechanism was optimized and reduced. The reduced mechanism entitled ‘DNO-NH3’, can accurately reproduce the measured laminar burning velocities of ammonia/methanol mixtures under all conditions. A reaction path analysis of the ammonia/methanol mixtures based on the DNO-NH3 mechanism shows that methanol is not directly involved in ammonia oxidation, instead, the produced methyl radicals from methanol oxidization contribute to the dehydrogenation of ammonia. Besides, NO_x emission analysis demonstrates that 60% methanol addition results in the highest NO_x emissions. The most important reactions dominating the NO_x consumption and production are identified in this study.     

Cold plasma for the disinfection of industrial food-contact surfaces: An overview of current status and opportunities

Food safety is the primary goal for food and drink manufacturers. Cleaning and disinfection practices applied to the processing environment are vital to maintain this safety; yet, current approaches can incur costly downtime and the potential for microorganisms to grow and establish, if not effectively removed. For that reason, manufacturers are seeking nonthermal, online, and continuous disinfection processes to control the microbial levels within the processing environment. One such emerging technique, with great potential, is cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAP). This review presents the latest advances and challenges associated with CAP-based technologies for the decontamination of surfaces and equipment found within the food-processing environment. It provides a detailed overview of the technology and a comprehensive analysis of the many CAP-based antimicrobial studies on food-contact surfaces and materials. As CAP is considered an emerging technique, many of the recent studies are still in the preliminary stages, with results obtained under widely different conditions. This lack of cohesive information and an inability to directly compare CAP systems has greatly impeded technological development. The review further explores the challenge of scaling CAP technology to meet industry needs, considering aspects such as regulatory constraints, environmental credentials, and cost of use. Finally, a discussion is presented on the future outlook for CAP technology in this area, identifying key challenges that must be addressed to promote industry uptake.     

Properties of spark plasma sintered pseudocubic BiFeO3–BaTiO3 ceramics

Perovskite solid solution materials, namely, 0.67BiFeO₃-0.33BaTiO₃, were synthesized by spark plasma sintering method. The effects of the spark plasma sintering temperature on phase purity, microstructure, and electric properties of the as-prepared materials were investigated. The materials could be referred as pseudocubic phases based on the X-ray diffraction patterns. The bulk density first increased and then decreased. The 880 °C-sintered-ceramics had the maximal density and a compact microstructure with grain size of 0.77 ± 0.34 μm. The dielectric constant as a function of temperature exhibited a broad peak. At the optimal spark-plasma-sintering temperature, enhanced ferroelectric properties were observed with a value of P_r ～ 21 μC/cm². This investigation on the spark plasma sintering process confirms it as an efficient approach to prepare outstanding performance BiFeO₃–BaTiO₃ ceramics.     

Microstructural refinement and mechanical response of Al2O3–ZrO2 eutectics fabricated by a novel pulse discharge plasma assisted melting method

In the present work, microstructural refinement and mechanical response of Al₂O₃–ZrO₂ eutectics fabricated by a pulse discharge plasma assisted melting (PDPAM) method were investigated. The solidified microstructure evolves from polygonal eutectic colonies into irregular cellular colonies with increasing the superheating temperature of the melt from 1820 °C to 1900 °C. The average eutectic spacing inside the colonies decreases from 1.80 ± 0.10 μm to 0.25 ± 0.06 μm, and the coarse inter-colonial structure is refined, which is attributed to the increase in undercooling temperature. High-temperature microstructural stability of Al₂O₃–ZrO₂ eutectics is improved significantly as contrasted with the as-sintered ceramics. Besides, the load dependence of Vickers hardness for Al₂O₃–ZrO₂ eutectics is investigated.