A Study of Ceramic Powder Preparation: Kinetics and Mechanisms of Precursor Precipitation

研究方向是稀溶盐的结晶和沉淀，以发展陶瓷粉末的沉淀和加工研究方面的专业知识。该项目还与桑迪亚国家实验室的工作人员合作开发新的实验技术。该研究计划的目标是对用于制造电子元件的陶瓷前驱体粉末的沉淀机制有一个基本的了解。陶瓷的电子性能严重依赖于前驱体粉末的化学和物理性能。提出了从溶液中析出作为获得所需粉末性能的化学方法。为了充分利用这种工艺，控制陶瓷的最终使用性能，对沉淀机理进行了研究。本文的工作重点是制备用于陶瓷压敏电阻的掺杂氧化锌粉末，但所开发的技术和分析方法可广泛应用于其他化合物和其他陶瓷材料类型。

The research is in the area of crystallization and precipitation of sparingly soluble salts to develop expertise in the study of the precipitation and processing of ceramic powders. The programs is complemented by collaboration with staff at Sandia National Laboratories in the development of novel experimental techniques. The objective of the research program is to develop a fundamental understanding of the mechanisms involved in the precipitation of ceramic precursor powders for the manufacture of electronic components. The electronic properties of ceramics are critically dependent on the chemical and physical properties of the precursor powder. Precipitation from solution is proposed as the chemical method for obtaining the desired powder properties. In order to fully exploit this type of processing and control the end use properties of the ceramic, the mechanisms of precipitation are studied. The focus of the work is on the preparation of doped zinc oxide powders for ceramic varistors, but the techniques and analyses developed may be generally applied to other compounds and other ceramic material types.