Fundamental Studies of Grain Boundary Wetting and De-wettingin Ceramics

本研究的目的是研究陶瓷烧结过程中颗粒间力的性质。力的性质决定了颗粒及其晶界湿润的条件，也决定了致密化后陶瓷中是否能排除液相。该项目的具体目标是确定烧结液中的颗粒是否带静电，并确定颗粒之间的力/分离函数。这项工作将主要在氧化锆基陶瓷上进行。这些结果将有助于我们对陶瓷液相烧结的基本理解，并有助于控制晶界的润湿，以优化目前受晶间相限制的实用陶瓷的性能。

The goal of this research is to investigate the nature of forces between particles during sintering of ceramics. The nature of the forces determines the conditions under which the particles and their grain boundaries are wet and, also, whether the liquid phase can be rejected from the ceramic after densification. The specific objectives of the project are to establish whether particles in a sintering liquid are electrostatically charged and to determine the force/separation function between particles. The work will primarily be carried out on zirconia based ceramics. The results are expected to contribute significantly towards our fundamental understanding of liquid phase sintering of ceramics and aid in the control the wetting of grain boundaries to optimize properties of practical ceramics presently limited by intergranular phases.