Top priority current path between SiC particles during ultra-high temperature flash sintering: Presence of PyC “bridges”

Flash sintering(FS)is a novel technique for rapidly densifying silicon carbide(SiC)ceramics.This work achieved a rapid sintering of SiC ceramics by the utilization of ultra-high temperature flash sintering within 60 s.Pyrolysis carbon(PyC)“bridges”were constructed between SiC particles through the carbonisation of phenolic resin,providing a large number of current channels.The incubation time of the flash sintering process was significantly reduced,and the sintering difference between the centre and the edge regions of the ceramics was minimized,with an average particle size of the centre region and edge region being 12.31 and 9.02μm,respectively.The results showed that the porosity of the SiC ceramics after the flash sintering was reduced to 14.79% with PyC“bridges”introduced,and the Vickers hardness reached 19.62 GPa.PyC“bridges”gradually evolved from amorphous eddy current carbon to oriented graphite carbon,indicating that the ultra-high temperature environment in which the sample was located during the flash sintering was successfully constructed.Ultra-high temperature flash sintering of SiC is expected to be applied to the local repair of matrix damage in SiC ceramic matrix composites.

Dielectric barrier discharge-based defect engineering method to assist flash sintering

Oxygen vacancy OV plays an important role in a flash sintering (FS) process. In defect engineering, the methods of creating oxygen vacancy defects include doping, heating, and etching, and all of them often have complex processes or equipment. In this study, we used dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) as a new defect engineering technology to increase oxygen vacancy concentrations of green billets with different ceramics (ZnO, TiO_(2), and 3 mol% yttria-stabilized zirconia (3YSZ)). With an alternating current (AC) power supply of 10 kHz, low-temperature plasma was generated, and a specimen could be treated in different atmospheres. The effect of the DBD treatment was influenced by atmosphere, treatment time, and voltage amplitude of the power supply. After the DBD treatment, the oxygen vacancy defect concentration in ZnO samples increased significantly, and a resistance test showed that conductivity of the samples increased by 2–3 orders of magnitude. Moreover, the onset electric field (E) of ZnO FS decreased from 5.17 to 0.86 kV/cm at room temperature (RT);while in the whole FS, the max power dissipation decreased from 563.17 to 27.94 W. The defect concentration and conductivity of the green billets for TiO_(2) and 3YSZ were also changed by the DBD, and then the FS process was modified. It is a new technology to treat the green billet of ceramics in very short time, applicable to other ceramics, and beneficial to regulate the FS process.

Flash sintering of high-purity alumina at room temperature

For the first time,the flash sintering(FS)of high-purity alumina at room temperature,which was previously considered unachievable due to its low electrical conductivity,was conducted herein.The electrical arc originating from surface flashover was harnessed to induce FS at room temperature and low air pressure.The successful FS of high-purity alumina was realized at 60 kPa under the arc constraint,resulting in a notable relative density of the alumina sample of 98.7%.The electric–thermal coupling between the arc and high-purity alumina sample during the arc-induced FS process was analyzed via the finite element simulation method.The results revealed the thermal and electrical effects of the arc on the sample,which ultimately enhance the electrical conductivity of the alumina sample.The formation of a conductive channel on the sample surface,a result of increased electrical conductivity,was the pivotal factor in achieving FS in high-purity alumina at room temperature.The arc constraint technique can be applied to numerous materials,such as ionic conductors,semiconductors,and even insulators,under room-temperature and low-air-pressure conditions.

Ambient flash sintering of reduced graphene oxide/zirconia composites:Role of reduced graphene oxide

Fabrication of graphene/ceramic composites commonly requires a high-temperature sintering step with long times as well as a vacuum or inert atmosphere,which not only results in property degradation but also significant equipment complexity and manufacturing costs.In this work,the ambient flash sintering behavior of reduced graphene oxide/3 mol% yttria-stabilized ZrO_(2)(rGO/3 YSZ) composites utilizing rGO as both a composite component and a conductive additive is reported.When the sintering condition is carefully optimized,a dense and conductive composite can be achieved at room temperature and in the air within 20 s.The role of the rGO in the FS of the rGO/3 YSZ composites is elucidated,especially with the assistance of a separate investigation on the thermal runaway behavior of the rGO.The work suggests a promising fabrication route for rGO/ceramic composites where the vacuum and furnace are not needed,which is of interest in terms of simplifying the fabrication equipment for energy and cost savings.

Gas-discharge induced flash sintering of YSZ ceramics at room temperature

This is the first study to conduct the flash sintering of 3 mol%yttria-stabilized zirconia(3YSZ)ceramics at room temperature(25℃)under a strong electric field,larger than 1 kV/cm.At the standard atmospheric pressure(101 kPa),the probability of successful sintering is approximately half of that at low atmospheric pressure,lower than 80 kPa.The success of the proposed flash sintering process was determined based on the high electric arc performance at different atmospheric pressures ranging from 20 to 100 kPa.The 3YSZ samples achieved a maximum relative density of 99.5%with a grain size of~200 nm.The results showed that as the atmospheric pressure decreases,the onset electric field of flash sintering decreases,corresponding to the empirical formula of the flashover voltage.Moreover,flash sintering was found to be triggered by the surface flashover of ceramic samples,and the electric arc on the sample surfaces floated upward before complete flash sintering at overly high pressures,resulting in the failure of flash sintering.This study reveals a new method for the facile preparation of flash-sintered ceramics at room temperature,which will promote the application of flash sintering in the ceramic industry.

A versatile defect engineering strategy for room-temperature flash sintering

In this study,we reported that flash sintering(FS)could be efficiently triggered at room temperature(25℃)by manipulating the oxygen concentration within ZnO powders via a versatile defect engineering strategy,fully demonstrating a promising method for the repaid prototyping of ceramics.With a low concentration of oxygen defects,FS was only activated at a high onset electric field of~2.7 kV/cm,while arcs appearing on the surfaces of samples.Strikingly,the onset electric field was decreased to<0.51 kV/cm for the activation of FS initiated,which was associated with increased oxygen concentrations coupled with increased electrical conductivity.Thereby,a general room-temperature FS strategy by introducing intrinsic structural defect is suggested for a broad range of ceramics that are prone to form high concentration of point defects.

Preliminary Investigation of Preparing High Burn-Up Structure in Nuclear Fuel by Flash Sintering Using CeO_(2) as a Surrogate

The high burn-up structure(HBS)is characterized by the grain size of 100-300 nm and a porosity of up to 20%,which is formed at the rim of the nuclear fuel pellet due to 2-3 times higher local burn-up during the in-pile irradiation.HBS is considered a new potential structure for high-performance fuels.However,it is difficult to prepare HBS by conventional sintering methods.In this study,flash sintering was used to prepare HBS using CeO_(2)as a surrogate for a preliminary investigation.A new experimental configuration for rapid sintering of CeO_(2)pellets was provided,in which the green body can be rapidly preheated and pressure-assisted by the induction heating electrodes.An insulated quartz tube was used as the die for the flash sintered samples,allowing the current to flow through the sample and providing a stable condition for applying an external pressure of approximately 5.3-7.0 MPa during flash sintering process.Using an initial electric field of 141 V cm-1 and holding for 1-7 min at the maximum current density of~98 mA mm^(-2),CeO_(2)ceramics with a grain size of 114-282 nm and a relative density of 75.4-99.7%were prepared.The densification and microstructure evolution behaviors during flash sintering in this new experimental configuration have been discussed in detail.This new experimental configuration may provide a promising approach for preparing UO_(2)ceramics and their HBS.

Fabrication and electrical characteristics of flash-sintered SiO_(2)-doped ZnO-Bi_(2)O_(3)-MnO_(2) varistors

The dense ZnO-Bi_(2)O_(3)-MnO_(2)(ZBMS)varistors for x=0,1,2,3 wt% were fabricated by flash sintering method under the low temperature of 850℃ within 2 min.The sample temperature was estimated by a black body radiation model in the flash sintering process.The crystalline phase assemblage,density,microstructure,and electrical characteristics of the flash-sintered ZBMS varistors with different SiO_(2)-doped content were investigated.According to the XRD analysis,many secondary phases were detected due to the SiO_(2) doping.Meanwhile,the average grain size decrease with increasing SiO_(2)-doped content.The improved nonlinear characteristics were obtained in SiO_(2)-doped samples,which can be attributed to the ion migration and oxygen absorption induced by the doped SiO_(2).The flash-sintered ZBMS varistor ceramics for x=2 wt% exhibited excellent comprehensive electrical properties,with the nonlinear coefficient of 24.5,the threshold voltage and leakage current of 385 V·mm^(-1 )and 11.8μA,respectively.

Electrical-field induced nonlinear conductive behavior in dense zirconia ceramic

The effect of the applied electric field on the conductive behavior of zirconia ceramics is studied by measuring its initial current-voltage curve at various temperatures. The results show that when the field strength is higher than the threshold for flash-sintering, the curves exhibit a nonlinear behavior by having an additional current on top of the linear current according to Ohm＇s law. Analyzing its transport behavior reveals that the additional current density is due to the extra oxygen vacancies induced by the electric field. The formation rate of the extra vacancies and associated current was related to the field strength.