Microstructure and properties of Ag–Ti_3SiC_2 contact materials prepared by pressureless sintering

Ti3SiC2-reintbrced Ag-maJxix composites are expected to serve as eleclrical contacts. In this study, the wettability of Ag on a Ti3SiC2 subslxate was measured by the sessile drop melkod. The Ag-Ti3SiC2 composites were prepared from Ag mad Ti3SiC2 powder mix- tures by pressureless sintering. The effects of compacting pressure （100-800 MPa）, sintering temperature （850-950~C）, mad soaking time （0.5-2 h） on the microslxucture mad properties of the Ag-Ti3SiC2 composites were investigated. The experimental results indicated that Ti3SiC2 paxticulates were uniformly distxibuted in flae Ag matrix, wiflaout reactions at the interthces between flae two phases. The prepared Ag-10wt%Ti3SiC2 had a relative density of 95% mad an electrical resistivity of 2.76 x 10 3 m~）＇cm when compacted at 800 MPa mad sintered at 950~C for 1 h. The incorporation of Ti3SiC2 into Ag was found to improve its hardness without substantially compromising its electrical conductivity; INs behavior was attxibuted to the combination of ceramic and metallic properties of the Ti3SiC2 reinforcement, suggesting its potential application in electrical contacts.

Microstructure and properties of alumina-silicon carbide nanocomposites fabricated by pressureless sintering and post hot-isostatic pressing

A1203/5%SIC nanocomposites were fabricated by pressureless sintering using MgO as a sintering aid and then post hot-isostatic pressed （HIP）, which can subsequently break through the disadvantage of hot-pressing process. The MgO additive was able to promote the densification of the composites, but could not induce the grain growth of A1203 matrix due to the grain growth inhibition by nano-sized SiC particles. After HIP treatment, A12OJSiC nanocomposites achieved full densification and homogeneous distribution of nano-sized SiC particles. Moreover, the fracture morphology of HIP treated specimens was identical with that of the hot-pressed A1203/SiC nanocomposites showing complete transgranular fracture. Consequently, high fracture strength of 1 GPa was achieved for the A1203/5%SIC nanocomposites by pressureless sintering and post HIP process.

Preparation of ZrN(ZrON)-SiAION Composite Ceramics via a Pressureless Sintering Process

ZrN-SiAlON composite materials were synthesized at 1 550 ℃ for 6 h via a carbothermal reduction nitridation route using fly ash （≤74 μm）,zircon （≤ 44 μm） and active carbon as starting materials.The processed ZrN-SiAlON composite micropowders were mixed with polyvinyl alcohol as binder to prepare ZrN （ZrON）-SiAlON composite ceramics by carbon-embedded pressureless firing at 1 450,1 500 and 1 550 ℃ for 1 h,respectively.Influences of firing temperature on the phase compositions,microstructure and sintering properties of the ceramics were investigated.The results show that：（1） β-SiAlON based composite ceramics with different compositions can be prepared by controlling firing temperature,and the main crystalline phases of the specimen fired at 1 550 ℃ for 1 h involve ZrN,ZrON and β-SiAlON （z =2,Si4Al2O2N6）; （2） ZrN （ZrON）,β-SiAlON and a Fe-Si based compound can be observed in the microstructures of the specimens fired at different temperatures.ZrN （ZrON） particles distribute homogeneously in the β-SiAlON matrix; （3） raising firing temperature can increase the shrinkage ratio of the ceramics,and the volume shrinkage ratio increases from 19.4％ to 40.3％ when the firing temperature rises from 1 450 to 1 550 ℃.

Pressureless Sintered 3Y-TZP/20%Al_2O_3 Composite Ceramic

Nanometer 3Y TZP/20%Al 2O 3 (mass fraction) composite powders prepared by the chemical coprecipitation method were pressureless sintered at 1550 ℃ for 2 h. Effects of calcining temperatures at 800 ℃, 1 000 ℃, and 1 200 ℃ on phase structure, relative density, and Vicker′s hardness of the sintered bodies were studied. The results show that 1 000 ℃ was the optimal calcining temperature,and the powder calcined was composed of tetragonal zirconia with the Scherrer crystalline size of 6.3 nm. The relative density was up to 98.5% under pressureless sintering, and the sintered body was t ZrO 2(without m ZrO 2)+α Al 2O 3 with the average size of 0.4 μm.

Pressureless sintering of La-Y-Sialon ceramics and grain growth in later period of sintering

The pressureless sintering process of Sialon ceramics added ( 1.5% La 2O 3+ 4.5% Y 2O 3) as sintering aids was studied. It is found that a β′ Sialon with relative density over 99% is obtained by sintering at 1?750?℃ for 1?h. Crystal grain growth was observed at room temperature by SEM for the samples sintered at 1?800?℃ holding for different time. It is proved that grain growth along c axis of β′ phase is a first priority, since (210) and (001) lattice plans have different activation energy. On the present conditions, logarithm of grain aspect ratio / of average grain length to average width is in proportion to sintering time because of proportion of lg to sintering time and proportion of to sintering time.

Fabrication and Pressureless Sintering of Silicon Carbide Refractories

This work studies the fabrication and pressureless sintering of silicon carbide(SiC)refractories.SiC particles were adopted as aggregates,introducing different amounts(20%,30%,40%,50%,and 60%,by mass)of submicron SiC powder,adding resin as the binder and the carbon source,and B4C as the sintering aid.It is found that when the mass ratio of B4C to the submicron SiC powder is 3%,the optimal sintering can be obtained.With the increase of the submicron powder addition,the sintering linear shrinkage increases and the mechanical properties enhance.The optimal sintering temperature is 2050-2100℃.

Transparent high-performance piezoceramics through pressureless sintering

Piezoelectricity offers an electromechanical coupling that is widely utilized in transducer applications.There has been a consistent demand for transparent piezoelectric materials for optoelectrical applications.Therefore,despite the inherent tradeoff between the transparency and the piezoelectricity,numerous strategies have been explored to develop the transparent piezoelectric materials.Nonetheless,the most transparent piezoelectric materials developed to date is either a single crystal or materials that achieve transparency via hot-press sintering,limiting its industrial applicability.Therefore,we introduce a novel piezoelectric material that ensures transparency through co-doping and pressureless sintering of polycrystalline ceramics.In this study,we employed a compositional optimization approach to enhance the synergistic effect between the transparency and the piezoelectric properties of 0.71Pb(Mg_(1/3)Nb_(2/3))O_(3)–0.29PbTiO_(3)(PMN–0.29PT)ceramics.By utilizing the tape casting process for mass production and large-area manufacturing,our Pb_(0.913)La_(0.0145)Sm_(0.0145)(Mg_(1/3)Nb_(2/3))_(0.71)Ti_(0.29)O_(3)(TP2.9)ceramics exhibited over 60%transparency and large piezoelectric coefficient(d33)of 1104 pC/N.This material holds considerable promise for a wide range of industrial applications in both the optical and electronic domains.

Densification,microstructure and mechanical properties of multicomponent(TiZrHfNbTaMo)C ceramic prepared by pressureless sintering

A multicomponent(TiZrHfNbTaMo)C ceramic has been fabricated by pressureless sintering at temperatures from 2100℃to 2500℃,using an equimolar multicomponent carbide powder synthesized by carbothermal reduction as the starting material.Influence of sintering temperature on densification,microstructure and mechanical properties of the ceramics was investigated.The relative density increases with increasing sintering temperature,and a nearly fully dense sample is achieved by pressureless sintering at 2500℃.Average grain size increases from 3.7 to 15.2μm with increasing sintering temperature from 2300 to 2500℃.The(TiZrHfNbTaMo)C ceramic sintered at 2400℃exhibits a single phase fcc structure with homogeneous chemical composition,an average grain size of 7.0μm and a relative density of96.5%,while its measured hardness is 33.2 GPa at 100 mN and 23.2 GPa at 9.8 N.

Thermal shock and fatigue behavior of pressureless sintered Al_(2)O_(3)-SiO_(2)-ZrO_(2) composites

The thermal shock and fatigue behavior of pressureless sintered Al_(2)O_(3)-SiO_(2)-ZrO_(2)(ASZ)composites was studied.The influence of the thermal shock and fatigue on the strengthening response of ASZ has been investigated by measuring the strength retention and microstructural changes.The magnitude of the flexural strength and fracture of the ASZ has been compared with that of the monolithic Al_(2)O_(3)(A)and Al_(2)O_(3)-SiO_(2)-ZrO_(2)(AZ)composites under the same experimental conditions.Results indicated that the ASZ composites possess the highest resistance against thermal shock and fatigue,in comparison with A and AZ.The improvements were attributed to the enhancement in the fracture toughness of ASZ and the presence of multi-phase reinforcement.

Grain growth kinetics and densification mechanism of(TiZrHfVNbTa)C high-entropy ceramic under pressureless sintering

The grain growth kinetics and densification mechanism of(TiZrHfVNbTa)C high-entropy carbide ceramic are investigated in this work.A single phase carbide with a rock-salt structure is formed until 2300°C,below which an apparent aggregation of V,Zr and Hf exists.It is associated with the slow diffusion rate of V element as well as the relatively poor solubility of VC in HfC(as well as ZrC).The grain growth mechanism gradually changes from surface diffusion to volume diffusion and then grain boundary diffusion with increasing sintering temperature.This is attributed to the variation of activation energy of grain growth.The densification mechanism is principally dominated by the mass transport through lattice diffusion with the activation energy of 839±53 k J/mol.Through the design of two-step sintering,it is verified that the solid solution formation can effectively promote the densification process.

Effect of CeO_2 on low temperature pressureless sintering of porous Si_3N_4 ceramics

Porous silicon nitride（Si_3N_4） ceramics were fabricated by low temperature pressureless sintering, using carbonized rice husk and α-Si_3N_4 powders as raw materials, and MgO-CeO_2 as sintering additives. The effects of CeO_2 concentration and sintering temperature on phase composition, microstructure, porosity and flexural strength of the sintered products were investigated by X-ray diffraction（XRD）, scanning electronic microscopy（SEM）, Archimedes＇ displacement method and three-point bending strength, respectively. The results suggested that MgO-CeO_2 was a much more effective sintering additive for Si_3N_4 than MgO alone. When CeO_2 concentration was 4 wt.%–5 wt.% and sintering temperatures were in a range of 1500 to 1550 oC, the obtained porous silicon nitride ceramics had the porosity of 45.78%–42.81% and flexural strength of 49.44–84.09 MPa. Moreover, when sintering temperature was 1550 oC and CeO_2 concentration was 5%, large elongated β-Si_3N_4 grains were well developed.

Slip casting and pressureless sintering of Ti3AlC2

Slip casting and subsequent pressureless sintering(PLS)allow the preparation of complex-shaped and large-sized Ti3AlC2 components for many potential applications.The behaviors of the suspensions,green compacts,and sintered samples of Ti3AlC2 were studied in this paper.The optimized condition of 1 wt%of arabic gum as dispersant at pH=10 results in a Ti3AlC2 suspension for slip casting Ti3AlC2 green compacts without macro defects or cracks.The sintering temperature and Al4C3 embedding powder are found to dominate the properties of the sintered Ti3AlC2 samples.The Ti3AlC2 sample sintered at 1450℃for 1.5 h with Al4C3 embedding powder reaches the best properties,namely 95.3%relative density,hardness of 4.18 GPa,thermal conductivity of 29.11W·m-1·K-1,and electrical resistivity of 0.39μΩ·m.The findings in this work may pave the way for the application of MAX phases with large size and complex shape.

Preparation of Gd_2O_2S:Pr Scintillation Ceramics by Pressureless Reaction Sintering Method

Fabrication of Gd2O2S：Pr scintillation ceramics by 2Gd2O3.（Gd,Pr）2（SO4）3.mH2O precursor was made Gd2O3, Pr6O11 and H2SO4 as the starting materials pressureless reaction sintering was investigated. The by hydrothermal reaction using commercially available Then single phase Gd2O2SO4：Pr powder was obtained by calcining the precursor at 750℃ for 2 h. The Gd2O2SO4：Pr powder compacts can be sintered to single phase Gd2O2S：Pr ceramics with a relative density of 99% and mean grain size of 30um at 1750℃ for 2 h in flowing hydrogen atmosphere. Densification and microstructural development of the Gd2O2S：Pr ceramics were examined. Luminescence spectra of the Gd2O2S：Pr ceramic under 309 nm UV excitation and X-ray excitation show a green emission at 511 nm as the most prominent peak, which corresponds to the ^3p0-3H4 transition of Pr^3＋ ions.

Pressureless sintering behavior and properties of Ag-SnO_2

In this study, the results of measurements on pressureless sintering behavior of Ag-SnO_2(88%wt Ag,12%wt SnO_2) pellets were reported. Dilatometric measurements, relative densities, hardness values, rupture transverse strength and electrical conductivities function of sintering temperatures were presented. A constant thermal expansion coefficient was determined, and a threshold temperature of densification(T_d) was exhibited. Sintering kinetics were reported for different temperatures. Hardness values were measured, and no increase in hardness is found under Td. Three-points bending tests were used to determine the transverse rupture strength whose evolution appears importantly well under Td. In the same manner, the increase in initial electrical conductivities begins well under Td. Under the threshold temperature, the relative increase in electrical conductivity is found to be independent of initial density of green compact pellets. This work highlights different evolutions in function of sintering temperature for the electrical conductivity and transverse rupture strength on the one hand, and for the densification and hardness on the other hand.

Preparation of Ln_(3-x)Eu_xS_4 (Ln=Ce,Pr,and Nd) ceramics by pressureless sintering

The preparation of ternary rare earth sulfides of Ln3-xEuxS4 (Ln = Ce, Pr, and Nd) ceramics was investigated, and the effect of Eu substitution on Ln3-xEuxS4 ceramics was also studied. Ln3-xEuxS4 powders were synthesized by the sulfurization of their oxide powders using carbon disulfide gas. Ln3-xEuxS4 ceramics were sintered by pressure-less sintering method. All pressureless sintered Ln3-xEuxS4 ceramics crystallized in γ-phase. It was found that Eu substitution could improve the density of Ln3-xEuxS4 ceramics. Furthermore, Eu substitution might narrow the optical band gaps of Ln3-xEuxS4 ceramics.

Pressureless reactive sintering mechanism of nanocrystalline Bi_2O_3-Y_2O_3 solid electrolyte

The nanocrystalline Bi2O3-Y2O3 solid electrolyte material was synthesized by pressureless reactive sintering process with Bi2O3 and Y2O3 nano mixed powder as raw materials, which was prepared by a chemical coprecipitation process. The study on the behavior of nano δ-Bi2O3 formation and its grain growth showed that the solid solution reaction of Y2O3 and δ-Bi2O3 to form δ-Bi2O3 occurs mainly in the initial stage of sintering process, and nano δ-Bi2O3 crystal grains grow approximately following the rule of paracurve （（D-D0）^2=K.t） during sintering process. After sintered at 600℃ for 2 h, the samples could reach above 96% in relative density and have dense microstructure with few remaining pores, the δ-Bi2O3 grains are less than 100 nm in size.

Synthesis of Cr_2AlC from Elemental Powders with Modified Pressureless Spark Plasma Sintering

We introduced a modified pressureless sintering strategy by SPS with a new T-shape die and tapered punches, which helps the evaporation of melted Al and reduces the sample sticking with the inner wall of the die. Thus, the die breaking risk in the sintering process or the de-molding process is avoided at all. At a low temperature and short holding time, a high purity of Cr_2 AlC was obtained in this SPS process from the optimization of different molar ratios of raw materials. Simultaneously, the high porosity of the as-obtained sample was also a distinguishing feature worth noticing. The reaction mechanism for this process was also discussed in detail. This study presented a new venue for future development of high purity "MAX" materials and others related materials by a modified pressureless sintering strategy.

Sintering properties of in situ Ti-TiB microlattices created by 3D extrusion printing of TiH_(2)+TiB_(2) inks

A direct 3D extrusion printing technique was used to produce Ti-TiB filaments and microlattices.The sintering properties of 3D ink extrusion and sintering of in situ Ti-TiB composite structures made from TiH_(2)+TiB_(2) ink were investigated.The sintering kinetics of TiH2+TiB2 inks was studied during densification by pressureless sintering at 1050−1200℃ for 4−24 h in Ar.The linear shrinkage,grain size,microhardness,X-ray diffraction(XRD)patterns,and microstructural evolution of the Ti-TiB composite were studied.The sintering temperature had a more pronounced influence than the sintering time on the density of the Ti-TiB composite.There were two kinds of pores,irregular and spherical,caused by the Kirkendall effect and indiffusable gases.The TiB formed by in situ synthesis existed as either separated TiB whiskers(needle-like shapes)or clusters of TiB whiskers.The results of this work could be useful for controlling microporosity through incomplete sintering within filaments,especially for the production of in situ Ti-TiB with high volume fractions of TiB or other composites.

<ji>In Situ</i>Synthesis of Titanium Matrix Composite (Ti-TiB-TiC) through Sintering of TiH₂-B₄C

Fully densified in-situ reinforced (TiB + TiC)-Ti matrix composites have been produced from TiH2-B4C mixtures using pressure less sintering or hot pressing technique. With increasing content of reinforcing components the sintering is retarded. The materials with more than 20 - 30 vol. % were only completely densified by hot pressing technique. Hardness values of the Ti matrix composites produced are up to 5 times higher than that of the sintered pure Ti produced from TiH2. This is caused beside the higher hardness of the inclusions also by hardening the matrix due to solubility of B and C in the titanium.

亚微米银焊膏的低温无压烧结性能研究

烧结银焊膏具备高导热、高导电、低弹性模量和高可靠性等优异性能,可以最大程度地发挥出SiC和GaN器件的潜能,因此具有广阔的应用前景.为了降低银焊膏的制备成本,同时改善银焊膏的烧结性能,使用球形和片状两种亚微米银颗粒制备了3种烧结银焊膏,通过分析银焊膏在200~250℃低温无压烧结后的电阻率、剪切强度和微观形貌,研究了不同形貌亚微米银颗粒及混合颗粒的低温无压烧结性能.研究表明:球形银颗粒制备的银焊膏在250℃烧结后,具有52.4 MPa的高剪切强度,同时其电阻率仅为6.28×10^(-8)Ω·m;银片制备的银焊膏烧结后的剪切强度始终较低且电阻率始终较大,在250℃烧结后,剪切强度为21.5 MPa,电阻率为15.54×10^(-8)Ω·m,这归因于银片的径向尺寸较大、振实密度较低和银片层层堆叠的烧结结构;混合颗粒的银焊膏展现出了在更低温度下烧结的潜力,在200℃烧结后,剪切强度为28.2 MPa,电阻率为7.77×10^(-8)Ω·m,这得益于银片可促进所选有机组分更早地去除和混合颗粒具有更高的初始堆积密度.本文研究成果有助于亚微米银颗粒焊膏的成熟稳定制备,也为低温无压烧结的高性能银焊膏的研发提供了新的思路.