Ceramic Technologies and Applications

A special issue of Technologies (ISSN 2227-7080). This special issue belongs to the section "Innovations in Materials Processing".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2017) | Viewed by 17833

Special Issue Editor

Enzo Ferrari Department of Engineering, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via P. Vivarelli 10, 41125 Modena, Italy
Interests: metallurgy; thermal applications of microwaves to metals; electromagnetic modeling; composite materials and refractory materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Despite their almost 30,000-year age, man-made ceramics still possess enormous technological breakthrough capabilities. Their unique structural and functional properties make ceramic materials candidates for thermally, mechanically, and chemically demanding applications. Application requirements are increasingly demanding when it comes to the design, manufacturing, reliability, and costs. Fields of applications range from biomedical to electronics, from high purity technical ceramics to more traditional ceramics. New processing routes, such as additive manufacturing or field-assisted sintering techniques, offer intriguing possibilities to produce new shapes or materials with peculiar properties. In this framework, this Special Issue aims to publish papers in the area of emerging ceramic technologies and applications, presenting new processing routes or innovative applications of ceramic materials. Particular attention should be given to the interplay between the processing conditions and the resulting material properties, and how these can be controlled. The Special Issue is dedicated to both ceramic materials and ceramic matrix composites.

Prof. Dr. Paolo Veronesi
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • raw materials preparation
  • drying
  • forming
  • sintering
  • melting
  • finishing
  • surface treatment and/or decoration
  • additive manufacturing
  • SPS
  • combustion synthesis
  • microwave and RF processing
  • ion beam and laser processing
  • Powder Injection Molding
  • sol-gel
  • Mechanical, electrical, optical, magnetic or thermal properties
  • alkali-activated
  • geopolymers
  • bioceramics
  • electroceramics
  • cellular materials
  • nanomaterials
  • ceramic matrix composites
  • ceramic coatings
  • green manufacturing
  • LCA

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

3412 KiB  
Article
Energy Efficiency in the Microwave-Assisted Solid-State Synthesis of Cobalt Aluminate Pigment
by Paolo Veronesi, Cristina Leonelli and Federica Bondioli
Technologies 2017, 5(3), 42; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/technologies5030042 - 04 Jul 2017
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 5175
Abstract
Abstract: Due to their rapid, selective, and volumetric heating, microwaves have been widely used in the past to enhance solid-state reactions as well as the synthesis of ceramic pigments. The aim of this work is to present a case study involving the [...] Read more.
Abstract: Due to their rapid, selective, and volumetric heating, microwaves have been widely used in the past to enhance solid-state reactions as well as the synthesis of ceramic pigments. The aim of this work is to present a case study involving the preparation of blue CoAl2O4 pigment using different microwave applicators and generator frequencies, showing the advantages which can derive from a properly designed microwave reactor for the solid-state synthesis of such pigment. The results show that, when using a properly designed microwave applicator, the specific energy consumption can be significantly lowered compared to conventional heating techniques. Consistently with the data on the dielectric properties of precursors found in literature, the microwave processing of cobalt oxide and aluminum hydroxide mixtures resulted more favorable at 2.45 GHz than at 5.8 GHz microwave frequency. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ceramic Technologies and Applications)
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2892 KiB  
Article
Finite Element Analysis of Self-Healing and Damage Processes in Alumina/SiC Composite Ceramics
by Marika Nakamura, Kyohei Takeo, Toshio Osada and Shingo Ozaki
Technologies 2017, 5(3), 40; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/technologies5030040 - 23 Jun 2017
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 5979
Abstract
Among various ceramic matrix composites developed, self-healing ceramics have been studied as new functional materials. Self-healing occurs in such materials by high-temperature oxidation triggered by a micro-crack initiation on the surface, and the strength of the material autonomously recovers to its robust state [...] Read more.
Among various ceramic matrix composites developed, self-healing ceramics have been studied as new functional materials. Self-healing occurs in such materials by high-temperature oxidation triggered by a micro-crack initiation on the surface, and the strength of the material autonomously recovers to its robust state since the micro-crack is re-bonded. To facilitate the use of self-healing ceramics in machines and equipment, a novel numerical simulation method based on finite element analysis (FEA) needs to be applied. In this study, we applied a previously proposed constitutive model to a series of self-healing and damage processes. In the constitutive model, the damage process is formulated on the basis of fracture mechanics, while the self-healing process is formulated on the basis of empirical oxidation kinetics. The FEA model implemented the constitutive model to simulate a series of experiments of the alumina/15 vol% SiC composites. The self-healing process was targeted to a prescribed damage by Vickers indentation. Thereafter, the self-healing behavior was quantitatively compared with that observed in the experiment. The results suggest that the proposed FEA approach can be applied to the analysis of ceramic matrix composites with self-healing properties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ceramic Technologies and Applications)
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3550 KiB  
Article
Synthesis and Sintering of ZnO Nanopowders
by Anne Aimable, Hervé Goure Doubi, Michael Stuer, Zhe Zhao and Paul Bowen
Technologies 2017, 5(2), 28; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/technologies5020028 - 30 May 2017
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 6270
Abstract
Nanopowders are continuously under investigation as they open new perspectives in numerous fields. There are two main challenges to stimulating their development: sufficient low-cost, high throughput synthesis methods which lead to a production with well-defined and reproducible properties; and for ceramics specifically, the [...] Read more.
Nanopowders are continuously under investigation as they open new perspectives in numerous fields. There are two main challenges to stimulating their development: sufficient low-cost, high throughput synthesis methods which lead to a production with well-defined and reproducible properties; and for ceramics specifically, the conservation of the powders’ nanostructure after sintering. In this context, this paper presents the synthesis of a pure nanosized powder of ZnO (dv50~60 nm, easily redispersable) by using a continuous Segmented Flow Tubular Reactor (SFTR), which has previously shown its versatility and its robustness, ensuring a high powder quality and reproducibility over time. A higher scale of production can be achieved based on a “scale-out” concept by replicating the tubular reactors. The sinterability of ZnO nanopowders synthesized by the SFTR was studied, by natural sintering at 900 °C and 1100 °C, and Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) at 900 °C. The performance of the synthesized nanopowder was compared to a commercial ZnO nanopowder of high quality. The samples obtained from the synthesized nanopowder could not be densified at low temperature by traditional sintering, whereas SPS led to a fully dense material after only 5 min at 900 °C, while also limiting the grain growth, thus leading to a nanostructured material. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ceramic Technologies and Applications)
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