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Sintering and Grain Growth Behavior of Ceramics

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A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Advanced and Functional Ceramics and Glasses".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2021) | Viewed by 17042

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Prof. Dr. John G. Fisher

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School of Materials Science and Engineering, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Korea
Interests: abnormal grain growth; lead-free piezoelectric ceramics; single-crystal growth; templated grain growth
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Dear Colleagues,

Sintering can be defined as the application of thermal energy to a shaped powder body to increase its strength by the formation of interparticle bonds and the elimination or control of porosity. Sintering is an essential step in the production of ceramics ranging from traditional applications such as porcelain and whitewares to high-performance applications such as bearings, microwave devices, fuel cells, capacitors, dental implants, and transducers. Although it is one of our oldest manufacturing technologies, sintering has only been studied scientifically since the 1940s. The two basic processes which take place during sintering are densification and grain growth. High density is desirable to improve the mechanical, electrical, and optical properties of ceramics. Grain size has a strong effect on the mechanical, electronic, magnetic, and optical properties of ceramics. Therefore, the control of both processes is vital in order to produce ceramics with the desired properties. This Special Issue will focus on sintering and grain growth behavior in ceramics, as well as on the relationship between microstructure and properties.

It is my pleasure to invite you to submit a manuscript to this Special Issue. I hope that this issue will gather together some of the latest and groundbreaking research on these topics. Manuscripts, both theoretical and experimental, concerning all types of sintering processes, ceramics, and applications are welcome. Full papers, communications, and reviews are all welcome.

Prof. Dr. John G. Fisher
Guest Editor

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Keywords

sintering
densification
grain growth
microstructure–property relationship

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 10201 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Study of the Hydrolytic Stability of Fine-Grained Ceramics Based on Y_2.5Nd_0.5Al₅O₁₂ Oxide with a Garnet Structure under Hydrothermal Conditions

by Liudmila Alekseeva, Aleksey Nokhrin, Maksim Boldin, Eugeniy Lantsev, Artem Murashov, Albina Orlova and Vladimir Chuvil’deev

Materials 2021, 14(9), 2152; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma14092152 - 23 Apr 2021

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 1447

Abstract

The hydrolytic stability of ceramics based on Y_2.5Nd_0.5Al₅O₁₂ oxide with a garnet structure obtained by the spark plasma sintering (SPS) method has been studied. The tests were carried out in distilled water under hydrothermal conditions in an autoclave and, for comparison, in a static mode at room temperature. The mechanism of leaching of Y and Nd from the ceramics was investigated. It has been shown that at “low” temperatures (25 and 100 °C), the destruction of pores occured, and the intensity of the leaching process was limited by the diffusion of ions from the inner part of the sample to the surface. At “high” test temperatures (200 and 300 °C), intense destruction of the ceramic grain boundaries was observed. It was assumed that the accelerated leaching of neodymium is due to the formation of grain-boundary segregations of Nd³⁺ in sintered ceramics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sintering and Grain Growth Behavior of Ceramics)

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20 pages, 57896 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Two-Step Sintering of Partially Stabilized Zirconia for Applications in Ceramic Crowns

by Bobby Aditya Darmawan, John G. Fisher, Doan Thanh Trung, Kumaresan Sakthiabirami and Sang-Won Park

Materials 2020, 13(8), 1857; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma13081857 - 15 Apr 2020

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4137

Abstract

Partially-stabilized zirconia is used in ceramic crowns due to its excellent mechanical properties and bio-inertness but does not match the natural color and translucency of tooth enamel. To reduce scattering of light and improve translucency, the grain size of zirconia ceramics should be less than the wavelength of visible light (0.4–0.7 μm), and porosity should be eliminated. The aim of the present work was to study the effect of two-step sintering of a commercial powder (Zpex Smile, Tosoh Corp., Tokyo, Japan) on the grain size and translucency of zirconia for use in ceramic crowns. Samples were sintered at a first step temperature (T₁) of 1300, 1375 and 1400 °C for 5 min, followed by a decrease to the second step temperature (T₂) and holding at T₂ for 5–20 h. Samples were also conventionally sintered at 1450 °C for 2 h for comparison. Two-step sintered samples with an almost equal density, smaller grain size and narrower grain size distribution compared to conventionally sintered samples could be sintered. However, the translucency of two-step sintered samples had lower values compared to conventionally sintered samples. This is due to the slightly higher porosity in the two-step sintered samples. Density and translucency of both conventionally and two-step sintered samples could be increased further by using a ball milled powder. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sintering and Grain Growth Behavior of Ceramics)

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9 pages, 2294 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Grain Growth Behavior of 0.95(Na_0.5Bi_0.5)TiO₃–0.05BaTiO₃ Controlled by Grain Shape and Second Phase

by Sang-Chae Jeon, John G. Fisher, Suk-Joong L. Kang and Kyoung-Seok Moon

Materials 2020, 13(6), 1344; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma13061344 - 16 Mar 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2425

Abstract

The grain growth behavior of 0.95(Na_0.5Bi_0.5)TiO₃ –0.05BaTiO₃ (mole fraction, NBT–5BT) grains was investigated with excess Bi₂O₃ addition. The powder compacts of NBT–5BT were sintered at 1200 °C for various sintering times and with various amounts of Bi₂O₃ (0.1, 1.5, 4.0 and 10.0 mol%). When Bi₂O₃ was added to round-edged cubic NBT–5BT, the grain shape changed to a more faceted cube and the amount of liquid phase increased during sintering. A more faceted cubic grain shape indicates an increase in the critical driving force for appreciable growth of grains. However, obvious abnormal grain growth did not appear in any of the NBT–5BT samples with excess Bi₂O₃. The amount of liquid phase increased as the amount of Bi₂O₃ increased. Therefore, the rate of grain growth could be decreased by the increasing the distance for the diffusion of atoms. These observations allowed us to conclude that the growth of Bi₂O₃-excess NBT–5BT grains is governed by the growth of facet planes via the two-dimensional nucleation grain growth mechanism during changing grain shape and amount of liquid. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sintering and Grain Growth Behavior of Ceramics)

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10 pages, 2960 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Development and Characterization of Titanium Dioxide Ceramic Substrates with High Dielectric Permittivities

by Antonio E. Freitas, Taise M. Manhabosco, Ronaldo J. C. Batista, Alan K. Rêgo Segundo, Humberto X. Araújo, Fernando Gabriel S. Araújo and Adilson R. Costa

Materials 2020, 13(2), 386; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma13020386 - 14 Jan 2020

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2671

Abstract

Titanium dioxide substrates have been synthesized by means of solid-state reactions with sintering temperatures varying from 1150 °C up to 1350 °C. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) where employed to investigate the crystal structure, grain size and porosity of the resulting samples. The obtained ceramics are tetragonal (rutile phase) with average grain sizes varying from 2.94 µm up to 5.81 µm. The average grain size of samples increases with increasing temperature, while the porosity decreases. The effect of microstructure on the dielectric properties has been also studied. The reduction of porosity of samples significantly improves the dielectric parameters (relative dielectric permittivity and loss tangent) in comparison to those of commercial substrates, indicating that the obtained ceramic substrates could be useful in the miniaturization of telecommunication devices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sintering and Grain Growth Behavior of Ceramics)

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12 pages, 4298 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Heterogeneity Challenges in Multiple-Element-Modified Lead-Free Piezoelectric Ceramics

by Oana Andreea Condurache, Kristian Radan, Uroš Prah, Mojca Otoničar, Brigita Kmet, Gregor Kapun, Goran Dražić, Barbara Malič and Andreja Benčan

Materials 2019, 12(24), 4049; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma12244049 - 5 Dec 2019

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2862

Abstract

We report on a heterogeneity study, down to the atomic scale, on a representative multiple-element-modified ceramic based on potassium sodium niobate (KNN): 0.95(Na_0.49K_0.49Li_0.02)(Nb_0.8Ta_0.2)O₃–0.05CaZrO₃ with 2 wt % MnO₂. We show that different routes for incorporating the MnO₂ (either before or after the calcination step) affect the phase composition and finally the functionality of the material. According to X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy analyses, the ceramics consist of orthorhombic and tetragonal perovskite phases together with a small amount of Mn-rich secondary phase. The addition of MnO₂ after the calcination results in better piezoelectric properties, corresponding to a ratio between the orthorhombic and tetragonal perovskite phases that is closer to unity. We also show, using microscopy techniques combined with analytical tools, that Zr-rich, Ta-rich and Mn-rich segregations are present on the nano and atomic levels. With this multi-scale analysis approach, we demonstrate that the functional properties are sensitive to minor modifications in the synthesis route, and consequently to different material properties on all scales. We believe that detecting and learning how to control these modifications will be a step forward in overcoming the irreproducibility problems with KNN-based materials. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sintering and Grain Growth Behavior of Ceramics)

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19 pages, 6010 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Effect of Composition on the Growth of Single Crystals of (1−x)(Na_1/2Bi_1/2)TiO₃-xSrTiO₃ by Solid State Crystal Growth

by Phan Gia Le, John G. Fisher and Won-Jin Moon

Materials 2019, 12(15), 2357; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma12152357 - 24 Jul 2019

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2709

Abstract

The (1−x)(Na_1/2Bi_1/2)TiO₃-xSrTiO₃ (NBT-100xST) system is a possible lead-free candidate for actuator applications because of its excellent strain vs. electric field behaviour. Use of single crystals instead of polycrystalline ceramics may lead to further improvement in piezoelectric properties but work on single crystal growth in this system is limited. In particular, the effect of composition on single crystal growth has yet to be studied. In this work, single crystals of (NBT-100xST) with x = 0.00, 0.05, 0.10 and 0.20 were grown using the method of Solid State Crystal Growth. [001]-oriented SrTiO₃ single crystal seeds were embedded in (NBT-100xST) ceramic powder, which was then pressed to form pellets and sintered at 1200 °C for 5 min–50 h. Single crystal growth rate, matrix grain growth rate and sample microstructure were examined using scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The results indicate that the highest single crystal growth rate was obtained at x = 0.20. The mixed control theory of grain growth is used to explain the single crystal and matrix grain growth behaviour. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sintering and Grain Growth Behavior of Ceramics)

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