反应烧结法制备MgAlON的合成机理及烧结行为的研究

通过对以Al2 O3、MgO和AlN为起始原料 ,在氮气气氛中反应烧结合成MgAlON材料合成机理的研究发现 :在 12 0 0℃以前 ,MgO与Al2 O3反应生成镁铝尖晶石 ,此后 ,随着温度的升高 ,Al2O3不断向所形成的尖晶石中固溶 ;在 130 0℃以前 ,AlN基本上不参与反应 ,而在更高的温度下 ,AlN开始向尖晶石中固溶形成MgAlON ,约在 15 5 0℃时形成单一的MgAlON相。用热膨胀仪检测了试样的线变化率随温度和时间的变化 ,用最小二乘法回归分析了试样线变化率的实验数据 ,并根据烧结理论对MgAlON材料烧结初期的动力学进行了探讨。结果表明 ,MgAlON材料烧结初期的烧结机理以体积扩散为主     

Sintering Mechanism and Microstructure of TaC/SiC Composites Consolidated by plasma-activated sintering

TaC/SiC composites with 5 wt% SiC addition were densified by plasma-activated sintering (PAS) at 1500–1800 °C for 5 min under 30 MPa. The effects of plasma-activated sintering on microstructures, densification and mechanical properties of the composites were investigated. The results showed that TaC/SiC composites achieved a relative density more than 99% of the theoretical density at 1600 °C. A low eutectic liquid phase generated by the oxide on the particle surface was observed in the composite to realize a relatively low temperature sintering densification. While the TaC particle size decreased insignificantly with increasing sintering temperature, the transformation of morphology of SiC particles changing from equiaxed to elongated grain was activated, accompanying with a slight particle size decreasing of the SiC phase, thus promoting a relatively high flexural strength of 550 MPa under 1800 °C. Besides, some ultra-fine 2 nm Ta₂Si was observed in the glassy pockets, strengthening the amorphous phase and thus increasing the flexural strength.     

Fabrication of porous titania sheet via tape casting: Microstructure and water permeability study

In this article, we report the effects of slurry formulation and sintering conditions on the microstructure and permeability of porous titania sheets prepared by tape casting. It was found that solid concentration and binder content in the titania slurry play a vital role in the porosity and microstructure of the sintered titania sheets. Solid concentration and binder content were optimized based on the green tape quality and open porosity of the sintered titania sheets. The optimum solid concentration with the lowest surface roughness was obtained at 0.61 g/cm³. The effects of temperature and sintering time on the open porosity and crystal structure of the final product were also investigated. Increasing the sintering temperature from 1000 to 1100 °C resulted in increasing the pore size from 170 to 264 nm and decreasing the open porosity. Finally, water permeability of the porous titania sheets was studied to evaluate the permeation flux and maximum operating pressure. The results revealed that the permeability of the porous titania sheet is increased not only by increasing the open porosity but also by increasing the pore size.     

Microwave dielectric properties of low-fired Li2MnO3 ceramics co-doped with LiF–TiO2

Li₂MnO₃ ceramics co-doped with 2 wt% LiF and x wt% TiO₂ (x=0, 3, 5, 7, 10) were prepared by solid-state reaction for low-temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCC) applications. The sintering temperatures of Li₂MnO₃ ceramics were successfully lowered to 925°C due to the formation of a LiF liquid phase. Their temperature stability was improved by doping with TiO₂. A typical Li₂MnO₃-2 wt% LiF-5 wt% TiO₂ sample with well-densified microstructures displayed optimum dielectric properties (ε_r=13.8, Q×f= 23,270 GHz, τ_f=1.2 ppm/°C). Such sample was compatible with Ag electrodes, which suggests suitability of the developed material for LTCC applications in wireless communication systems.     

Fabrication and characterization of anorthite–mullite–corundum porous ceramics from construction waste

In this work, anorthite–mullite–corundum porous ceramics were prepared from construction waste and Al₂O₃ powders by adding AlF₃ and MoO₃ as mineralizer and crystallization catalyst, respectively. The effects of the sintering temperature and time on open porosity, mechanical properties, pore size distribution, microstructure, and phase composition were characterized in detail. The results showed that the formation of the mullite whiskers and the properties of the anorthite–mullite–corundum porous ceramics depended more on the sintering temperature than the holding time. By co-adding 12 wt% AlF₃ and 4 wt% MoO₃, mullite whiskers were successfully obtained at sintering temperatures upon 1350 °C for 1 h. Furthermore, the resultant specimens exhibited excellent properties, including open porosity of 66.1±0.7%, biaxial flexural strength of 23.8±0.9 MPa, and average pore size of 1.32 µm (the corresponding cumulative volume percent was 37.29%).     

Effect of boric acid on the porosity of clay and diatomite monoliths

Porous silica ceramics were obtained at low forming pressure (40–80 MPa) and low sintering temperature (850–1300 °C) for 4 h in air. Boric acid was used as a low-cost additive, in the amount of 2 wt%. Relatively high porosities of nearly 40% and 65% are obtained for the samples of clay and diatomite pressed at 40 MPa, and sintered at 1000 °C, respectively. The samples sintered at 1150 °C and 1300 °C have the average pore size diameters in the range of macroporous for clay 0.2–10 μm and for diatomite 0.2–5 μm. X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and mercury porosimetry measurements were employed to characterize of the obtained samples. Measurements of densities and open porosities by immersion technique were used, according to the Archimedes principle. The relations between mechanical characteristics of the samples formed by using different pressures and sintered at different temperature, were discussed.     

Preparation of refractory cordierite using amorphous rice husk silica for thermal insulation purposes

This study aims to investigate the effect of sintering temperatures on the phase formation and physical characteristics of refractory cordierite prepared from rice husk silica, Al₂O₃, and MgO powders. The samples were subjected to sintering temperatures of 1050–1350 °C, and development of structures was characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) coupled with Rietveld analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and dilatometry. The results obtained indicated the significant role of sintering temperatures on phase transformation of spinel and cristobalite into cordierite, in which at sintering temperatures of 1230–1350 °C the cordierite emerges as a dominant phase, while spinel and cristobalite are practically undetected. Formation of cordierite was followed by decrease in density, porosity, and thermal expansion coefficient, while for hardness and bending strength the opposite was true. Thermal expansion coefficient of the sintered sample at 1350 °C is 3.3×10⁻⁶/°C and the XRD analysis demonstrated that the main crystalline phase is cordierite. Based on these characteristics, the samples are considered as insulator, suggesting their potential use in refractory devices.     

Effect of sintering temperature on mechanical properties of magnesia partially stabilized zirconia refractory

The optimized sintering conditions for a 3.5 wt% magnesia partially stabilized zirconia (Mg-PSZ) refractory were proposed in our recent research. The influence of the sintering temperature on the development of phase composition, microstructure, densification, thermal expansion and mechanical strength was studied in detail by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), He-pycnometer, high temperature dilatometry and three-point bending test. The samples sintered at 1670 °C had the highest bend strength, the maximum densification, the lowest thermal expansion coefficient (CTE), a homogeneous microstructure and a linear change in thermal expansion.     

Mechanical activation-assisted autoclave processing and sintering of HfB2-HfO2 ceramic powders

This study reports on the synthesis and consolidation of HfB₂-HfO₂ ceramic powders via mechanical activation-assisted autoclave processing followed by pressureless sintering (PS) or spark plasma sintering (SPS). HfCl₄, B₂O₃ and Mg starting powders were mechanically activated for 5 min to obtain homogeneously blended precursors with active particle surfaces. Autoclave synthesis was carried out at a relatively low temperature at 500 °C for 6 or 12 h. As-synthesized powders were purified from reaction by-products such as MgO and MgCl₂ by washing and acid leaching treatments. The characterization investigations of the as-synthesized and purified powders were performed by using an X-ray diffractometer (XRD), stereomicroscope (SM), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and particle size analyzer (PSA). The purified powders with an average particle size of about 190 nm comprised the HfB₂ phase with an amount of 79.6 wt% in addition to the HfO₂ phase and a very small amount of Mg₂Hf₅O₁₂ phase after mechanical activation for 5 min and autoclave processing for 12 h. They were consolidated at 1700 °C both by PS for 6 h and SPS for 15 min. The Mg₂Hf₅O₁₂ phase decomposed during sintering and bulk samples only had the HfB₂ and HfO₂ phases. The bulk properties of the sintered samples were characterized in terms of microstructure, density, microhardness and wear characteristics. The HfB₂-HfO₂ ceramics consolidated by PS exhibited poor densification rates. A considerable improvement was obtained in the relative density (~91%), microhardness (~16 GPa) and relative wear resistance (2.5) values of the HfB₂-HfO₂ ceramics consolidated by SPS.     

Synthesis,sintering, and grain growth kinetics of Hf6Ta2O17

A systematic study of the solid-state synthesis, pressureless sintering, and grain growth kinetics of Hf₆Ta₂O₁₇ is presented. The ideal conditions for solids-state synthesis of Hf₆Ta₂O₁₇ powder with minimal particle necking was 1250 °C for 2 h in air. The resultant powder has an average particle size of 210 ± 70 nm. The combined synthesis and ball-milling procedure produces highly sinterable Hf₆Ta₂O₁₇ powder, achieving > 97 % of theoretical density after pressureless sintering at 1600 °C for 2 h in air. The grain growth mechanism was sensitive to processing conditions, appearing to be primarily driven by surface diffusion below 1600 °C and grain boundary diffusion above 1650 °C. The respective activation energies for grain growth were found to be Q_S = 659 ± 79 kJ mol⁻¹ and Q_GB = 478 ± 63 kJ mol⁻¹.