Effect of pH, milling time, and Isobam content on porous silicon nitride ceramics prepared by gel casting

As a non-toxic copolymer of isobutylene and maleic anhydride,Isobam is successfully used as a dispersant and a gelling agent for fabricating porous Si_(3)N_(4) ceramics by gel casting.The dispersity and rheological properties of the Si_(3)N_(4) slurry are influenced by the pH,milling time,and Isobam content which varies from 0.1 wt.%to 0.6 wt.%,and these factors are investigated.The slurry with 40 vol.%solid content and milled for 4 h has a high zeta potential at pH 12(adjusted by Tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide(TMAH)),which means that the particles are well dispersed.The mechanisms of TMAH are electrostatic repulsion and steric hindrance.The viscosity of the slurry increases with the increase of Isobam content.After pressureless sintering at 1700℃ for 2 h,a uniform unique interlocking microstructure of rod-like β-Si_(3)N_(4) grains is observed,which may improve the flexural strength of the ceramics by intergranular fracture and particle pullout of β-Si_(3)N_(4) grains.The density and porosity of the samples fluctuate negligibly with the increase of Isobam content,and the Si_(3)N_(4) ceramic with 0.1 wt.% Isobam exhibits the highest bending strength of 251.6 MPa among all samples.

Formation mechanisms of Ti_(3)(Si,Al)C_(2)/Al_(2)O_(3) composites from Ti_(3)AlC_(2) and SiO via low-temperature sintering

Ti_(3)SiC_(2)/Al_(2)O_(3) composites have attracted attention due to their excellent mechanical and electromagnetic properties,but the high temperatures(≥1400℃)required for the densification of aluminum oxide(Al_(2)O_(3))leads to the decomposition of Ti_(3)SiC_(2).To address this issue,Ti_(3)(Si_(x)Al_(1−x))C2/Al_(2)O_(3)(x represents the Si content)composites were synthesized for the first time via hot-pressing(HP)sintering and current-assisted sintering(CAS)of mixed Ti_(3)AlC_(2) and silicon monoxide(SiO)powders at 1300 and 1200℃,respectively.Both approaches produced composites with x values greater than 0.9,indicating that the compositions of the prepared composites were similar to those of Ti_(3)SiC_(2)/Al_(2)O_(3) composites.The synthetic mechanism involved substitution and continuous interdiffusion of Al and Si atoms.The composite prepared by CAS at 1200℃ was compacted,whereas the composite prepared by HP had a low density.The low-temperature densification mechanism is attributed to the combined effects of amorphous SiO,liquid Al,and the high heating rates for CAS.The flexural strength and hardness of the composite prepared by CAS were also comparable to those of compacted Ti_(3)SiC_(2)/Al_(2)O_(3) composites.