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Exploring new applications of negative thermal expansion (NTE) materials is a recent research hotspot. In this work, the IV A element Sn was used to tailor the thermal expansion and dielectric properties of NTE material ZrMgMo 3 O 12 , and the samples Zr 1–x Sn x MgMo 3 O 12 (x = 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20, 0.25) can be used in the field of high-frequency dielectric ceramics. Both the substitution amount of Sn and sintering temperature have a certain effect on the properties of Zr 1-x Sn x MgMo 3 O 12. The coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) can be adjusted between near zero thermal expansion (ZTE) (−0.24 × 10−6/K−1) and NTE (−8.16 × 10−6/K−1) and become larger toward negative as the amount of Sn increased under the same sintering temperature. The dielectric constants of Zr 1-x Sn x MgMo 3 O 12 can be adjusted in the range of 130∼155, which are about 25 times than ZrMgMo 3 O 12. The dissipation factors of Zr 1-x Sn x MgMo 3 O 12 were adjustable between 4.37 × 10−4 and 5.54 × 10−4, meeting the application requirements of high-frequency dielectric ceramics. This research shows that Sn can adjust the thermal expansion properties and significantly improves the dielectric properties of ZrMgMo 3 O 12 , so that Zr 1-x Sn x MgMo 3 O 12 materials have high value in the field of high-frequency dielectric ceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work investigates the behavior and properties of corundum and mullite ceramics at high temperatures and during very long exposures in a controlled atmosphere. The motivation of the work lies primarily in advanced applications in nuclear energy technology, specifically in the search for materials for helium-cooled reactors of the 4th generation. The studied ceramic samples Al63, Al70, Al76, Al96, Al100, where the number indicates the mass percentage of Al 2 O 3 , were exposed for 1000 h at a temperature of 900 °C in gaseous atmospheres of helium, nitrogen and air. The properties of the exposed and unexposed samples were evaluated by measuring the bending strength at room temperature (CMOR), hot modulus of rupture at high temperature (HMOR), and isothermal creep, BET method, and using electron microscopy. The color changes induced by the reducing atmosphere and temperature were also interpreted using a simple thermochemical model. The CMOR measurement results show that all ceramic samples do not significantly change their properties due to long-term exposure. The detected deviations in the exposed samples from the unexposed ones can be considered random caused by the inherent heterogeneous structure. A similar conclusion also applies in the case of the HMOR measurement results, except for the results for the Al63 sample, where the drop in the strength of the exposed samples by approx. 37 MPa (20 %) may be related with the highest proportion of polyvalent oxide admixtures of all studied ceramics, i.e. 1.01 wt % Fe 2 O 3 and 0.52 wt % TiO 2. The change in color indicates that the iron and titanium present are being reduced. However, none of the conducted experiments indicate that changes in the redox state associated with the formation of oxygen vacancies would significantly reduce strength at high temperatures or increase creep in mullite ceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Si3N4 ceramics with high mechanical properties and thermal conductivity, exhibiting fine and bimodal microstructure, were prepared by adjusting the Er2O3/MgO ratio and hot‐pressing sintering at 1800°C for 4 h. The microstructure, grain distribution, lattice oxygen content, mechanical properties, and crack propagation process of the sintered bulk samples were systematically investigated. It was found that a low Er2O3/MgO ratio contributed to the densification of Si3N4 ceramics, whereas a high Er2O3/MgO ratio favored the grain growth of Si3N4 ceramics. In this research, the grain size distribution and average diameters as well as their impact on mechanical properties were examined. When the ratio of Er2O3/MgO was 3:1, Si3N4 had a larger average diameter and higher thermal conductivity, but the mechanical properties were somewhat reduced. When the ratio of Er2O3/MgO was 2:2, the sample displayed enhanced mechanical performance, which can be explained by the formation of a bimodal structure. The research indicates that it is feasible to control the microstructure and optimize the mechanical properties of Si3N4 ceramics by tailoring the sintering additives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porous SiC ceramics with three different pore sizes (∼7, ∼45, and ∼98 μm) and two different porosities (∼54% and ∼63%) were prepared to investigate the effects of pore size on electrical and thermal properties of the porous ceramics. With an increase in pore size from ∼7 to ∼98 μm at the same porosity (∼54%), the electrical and thermal conductivities of the porous ceramics increased from ∼1.01 to ∼2.30 Ω−1·cm−1 and ∼14.3 to ∼26.2 W·m−1K−1, respectively. Similar trends have been obtained in the ceramics with ∼63% porosity. The porous SiC ceramic with larger pore size has smaller pore/strut interface area at the same porosity, which leads to less carrier scattering and phonon‐pore scattering at the pore/strut interfaces, resulting in higher electrical and thermal conductivities, respectively. These results suggest that the electrical and thermal properties of porous SiC ceramics can be successfully tuned by adjusting the pore size and porosity depending on the application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(KMg)3+ co-doped Sc 2 W 3 O 12 ceramics have been prepared via co-precipitation method. Effects of (KMg)3+ co-doping amount and sintering temperature on the phase constitution, microstructure, morphology, and negative thermal expansion (NTE) performance of K x Mg x Sc 2- x W 3 O 12 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1.25) ceramics were studied. Results indicate that: Sc3+ cations can be substituted by (KMg)3+ dual-cations and a composition-induced structural phase transition was observed in K x Mg x Sc 2- x W 3 O 12. For x ≤ 0.25, orthorhombic Sc 2 W 3 O 12 gradually changed into hexagonal K x Mg x Sc 2- x W 3 O 12 and coexisted. Single phase K x Mg x Sc 2- x W 3 O 12 with hexagonal symmetry can be prepared for 0.25 < x ≤ 1. When x ≥ 1.25, (KMg)3+ substitution reaches its solid solution limit in Sc 2 W 3 O 12 , and impurity MgWO 4 formed in the samples. As co-doping amount x increased, the NTE performance of the K x Mg x Sc 2- x W 3 O 12 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) ceramics gradually enhanced. The coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of K x Mg x Sc 2- x W 3 O 12 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) ceramics enhanced from −2.14 × 10−6 °C−1 to −19.68 × 10−6 °C−1 in 30–700 °C. With the increase of sintering temperature from 800 to 1100 °C, the grains grew up and the density of the K 0.75 Mg 0.75 Sc 1.25 W 3 O 12 ceramics increased as well, and the NTE performance was also improved. The linear CTE of K 0.75 Mg 0.75 Sc 1.25 W 3 O 12 ceramics enhances from −2.15 × 10−6 °C−1 to −14.70 × 10−6 °C−1 in 30–700 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lightweight phenolic matrix composites are highly potential in ablative thermal protective materials for future aerospace vehicles, and hybrid modification is considered as one of effective ways to improve the oxidation and ablation resistance of phenolic matrix. Herein, the co-continuous silica zirconium hybrid phenolic resin (SZRx) was synthesized, which can be used to prepare lightweight ablation resistant aerogel composites by the sol-gel method. The SZRx aerogel showed stable porous structure and excellent hydrophobicity, and the silicon zirconium hybrid greatly improved the high temperature carbon residue and oxidation resistance of phenolic resin. The SZRx aerogel composites also possessed excellent integrated characteristics of heat protection and insulation, with a linear ablation rate as low as 0.032 mm/s and a back temperature below 200 °C. The synergistic effect of silicon and zirconium formed the multiphase ceramic layer (C, SiO 2 , SiC and ZrO 2) with the sea-island-like structure on the surface of the composite material, which can effectively resist high-temperature ablation and aerodynamic exfoliation. This can indicate that silicon zirconium dual element hybrid phenolic resin is the highly competitive matrix for lightweight and ablation resistant composite materials. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ceramic thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) with high toughness and low thermal conductivity are important for developing aero engines with high thrust‐to‐weight ratio and thermal efficiency. In this work, the properties of tantalate Y1/6Yb5/6TaO4 (YYT) were optimized by introducing 8 wt.% yttria‐stabilized zirconia (8YSZ), synthesized using spark plasma sintering, as a second‐phase ceramic. The highest toughness (3.57 MPa m1/2) of the YYT/8YSZ composite ceramics was due to multiple toughening mechanisms. The underlying mechanisms of these processes were revealed based on the microstructures and residual stress of the YYT/8YSZ composite ceramics. A shift from an intergranular fracture to a transgranular fracture was caused by the difference between soft‐grain YYT and hard‐grain 8YSZ, which consumed the fracture energy. Furthermore, the formation of microcracks, crack deflection, bridging, and branching were analyzed based on the differences in Young's moduli and thermal expansion coefficients of YYT and 8YSZ. Internal defects and weak connections between the YYT and 8YSZ grains reduced the thermal conductivity of the composites until it reached its lowest value at 1.4 W m−1 K−1. The studied toughening mechanisms could be applied to various composites. Moreover, herein, we provide a new strategy to design and synthesize TBCs with enhanced performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study utilizes modulation of ionic disorder and electronegativity differences for targeted component design of high-entropy ceramic compositions. A series of novel multicomponent ceramics with the general formula (LaGdYSm) x 2 Yb x 1 Zr 2 O 7 (x 1 +4x 2 = 2, x 1 = 0.6,0.4,0.2,0) were prepared by solid-state reaction. The evolution patterns of their microstructures were analyzed using XRD and TEM, and the anti-sintering ability and thermophysical properties were evaluated. The results confirm that the multicomponent ceramics gradually transform from the coexistence of pyrochlore/fluorite dual-phase structure to pyrochlore structure with the tuning of the size disorder degree. After 50h of exposure to air at 1500 °C, the ceramics retained excellent phase stability. Segregation of La and Yb elements with large differences in radius size occurs, forming a mixture of the La-rich pyrochlore and the Yb-rich fluorite phases. The specimen with the maximum size disorder exhibits the lowest grain growth rate and the greatest thermal insulation properties. Large lattice distortions and sluggish diffusion effects are responsible for the mutual inhibition of grain growth in the two-phase coexistence zone. The thermal insulation properties of the ceramics show well correlated with the degree of the size disorder, further validating the effectiveness of the component design. Meanwhile, the thermal expansion coefficients of prepared ceramic can reach 11.49 × ∼11.58 × 10−6 K−1 at 1000–1100 °C. The customization principles used in this work fill a gap in the compositional design methodology for multicomponent lanthanum zirconate-based high-entropy ceramics. It is essential for developing rare-earth zirconates with tunable thermophysical properties in the area of thermal barrier coatings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zirconium carbide (ZrC) ceramics have a high melting point, low neutron absorption cross section, and excellent resistance to the impact of fission products and are considered to be one of the best candidate materials for fourth-generation nuclear energy systems. ZrC ceramics with a high relative density of 99.1% were successfully prepared via pressureless sintering using a small amount of MoSi2 as an additive. The influence of the MoSi2 content on the densification behavior, microstructure, mechanical properties, and thermal properties of ZrC ceramics was systematically investigated. The results show that the densification of ZrC was significantly enhanced by the introduction of MoSi2 due to the formation of a liquid phase during sintering. In addition, the ZrC grains were refined due to the pinning effect of the generated silicon carbide. The flexural strength and Vickers hardness of ZrC ceramics with 2.5 vol% MoSi2 sintered at 1850 °C were 408 ± 12 MPa and 17.1 GPa, respectively, which were approximately 30% and 10% higher compared to the samples without the addition of MoSi2. The improved mechanical properties were mainly attributed to the high relative density (99.1%) and refined microstructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Al 2 O 3 /B 2 O 3 powder mixtures prepared at various ratios from 10.7 to 54.1 wt% B 2 O 3 were used to synthesize Al 18 B 4 O 33 powders by solid state calcination at 1300 °C for 1 h. Al 18 B 4 O 33 formation was completed at 44 wt% B 2 O 3 instead of stoichiometric ratio of 13.17 wt% B 2 O 3. In other words, B 2 O 3 -rich liquid phase accelerated Al 18 B 4 O 33 crystallization. Al 18 B 4 O 33 particles were not acicular in shape when first formed, but they were fully acicular for the 44 wt% and the 54.1 wt% B 2 O 3 mixtures. Anorthite-based glass and CaO were selected to induce liquid phase sintering. CaO considerably improved densification to 95.4 % relative density at 1350 °C. Both glass and mullite also enhanced densification to 94.8 %. Epitaxial nucleation of mullite on Al 18 B 4 O 33 particles resulted in a solid solution as well. Dielectric, mechanical and thermal properties of the samples were investigated and evaluated for possible applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An additively manufactured reaction‐bonded silicon carbide ceramic composite is fabricated using a bimodal powder feedstock and the binder‐jetting printing technique. On fabricating, the ceramic is investigated to report its composition, mechanical, and thermal properties at room temperature and high temperatures (up to 750∘C$^{\circ }C$). The ceramic has a density of 2.76 g/cc, and shows a hardness of 21.74 GPa, and a flexure strength of 207.5 MPa at room temperature. The mechanical property of flexure strength is used to estimate its failure probability under applied stress, using a Weibull distribution. The mechanical properties and failure probabilities are compared with those of conventionally fabricated reaction‐bonded silicon carbide ceramics reported in the literature. These ceramics were fabricated using methods such as slip‐casting, compacting, and tape‐casting. The comparison is used to elucidate the advantages and areas of improvement of the present additive manufacturing technique for reaction‐bonded ceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, CaO‐doped (≤4 mol.%) tetragonal zirconia (CaSZ) ceramic was recommended as a potential alternative to yttria‐stabilized ZrO2 (YSZ). Here, we investigate the limits of starting particle sizes on the stability of tetragonal (t) phase and other associated benefits on measured properties. Synthesized CaSZ powders calcined with different temperatures were used as a mono‐sized or mixed (i.e., two different calcination temperatures) batch fraction for making dense CaSZ ceramic. The mixed‐batch powders were found to be far more efficient in stabilizing the t‐phase in ceramic. Compared to YSZ, CaSZ recorded remarkable enhancement in toughness (up to 8.3 MPa m$\sqrt {\mathrm{m}} $). Contrary to YSZ, CaSZ ceramic demonstrated outstanding thermal stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reduced graphene oxide, due to its structure, exhibits anisotropic properties, which are particularly evident in electrical and thermal conductivity. This study focuses on examining the influence of reduced graphene oxide in silicon carbide on these properties in directions perpendicular and parallel to the direction of the aligned rGO flakes in produced composites. Reduced graphene oxide is characterized by very high in-plane thermal and electrical conductivity. It was observed that the addition of rGO increases thermal conductivity from 64 W/mK (reference sample) up to 98 W/mK for a SiC–3 wt.% rGO composite in the direction parallel to the rGO flakes. In the perpendicular direction, the values were slightly lower, reaching up to 84 W/mK. The difference observed in electrical conductivity values is more significant and is 1–2 orders of magnitude higher for the flakes' alignment direction. The measured electrical conductivity increased from 1.2710−8 S/m for the reference SiC sinter up to 1.55 × 10−5 S/m and 1.2410−4 S/m for the composites with 3 wt.% rGO for the perpendicular and parallel directions, respectively. This represents an enhancement of four orders of magnitude, with a clearly visible influence of the anisotropy of the rGO. The composite's enhanced electrical and thermal conductivity make it particularly attractive for electronic devices and high-power applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polycrystalline samples of (1-x)K 0.5 Bi 0.5 TiO 3 - xBaTiO 3 [(1-x)KBT - xBT] were synthesized using a solid-state reaction pathway. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the presence of a single-phase perovskite structure. To explore relaxation and conduction mechanisms, complex impedance spectroscopy was employed. Reduction in Curie temperature was observed as BT content increased. The grain and grain boundary contributions to relaxation was examined through complex impedance and modulus plots and quantified via fitting experimental data to an equivalent circuit model. Examination of the Complex impedance spectra uncovered the existence of dielectric relaxation characteristic of a non-Debye nature. Furthermore, the activation energy determined suggests commonalities in governing the conduction and relaxation processes in relation to temperature-dependent conductivity and relaxation time. A negative temperature coefficient of resistance behaviour was obtained from the temperature-dependent conductive study. Dielectric spectra revealed that these ceramic capacitors are useful in reduction of signal interference, signal attenuation and impedance matching circuits applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mullite fiber-based porous ceramics is one of the most commonly used high-temperature insulation materials. However, how to further reduce the thermal conductivity and improve the strength of such materials has been a challenge in the field of high-temperature insulation. In this paper, mullite micro/nano fiber-based porous ceramic was prepared by introducing mullite nanofibers into mullite microfiber-based porous ceramics and the effect of microfiber/nanofiber weight ratio on the samples properties were characterized and analyzed. Results showed that the compressive strength and high-temperature thermal insulation properties of the porous ceramics increased significantly with an increase in the nanofiber content. For the porous ceramics with similar density (about 0.50 g/cm3), the compressive strength of the sample with a microfibers/nanofibers weight ratio of 1:2 was 1.43 MPa, which was much higher than that of the porous ceramics prepared with only microfibers (0.26 MPa). Meanwhile, the backside thermal equilibrium temperature of the sample with a microfiber/nanofiber weight ratio of 1:2 at 900 °C environment was 355.8 °C, which was much lower than that of the porous ceramic prepared with only microfibers (476.5 °C). In addition, in order to investigate the temperature resistance of mullite micro/nano fiber-based porous ceramics, the sintering temperatures was increased from 1400 °C to 1500 °C. Results shows that the high-temperature thermal insulation performance of mullite micro/nano fiber-based porous ceramics with high mullite nanofiber content decays more seriously. The back-temperature test showed that the thermal equilibrium temperature of the samples with a mullite micron/nanofiber weight ratio of 1:1 in 900 °C environment increased rapidly from 386.3 °C to 454.2 °C when the sintering temperature was increased from 1400 °C to 1500 °C. The preparation of mullite micro/nanofiber-based porous ceramics provides a new strategy to improve the performance of fiber-based porous ceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ni-containing SiOC bulk ceramics have been prepared by spark plasma sintering at 1300 °C from polysiloxane at Ar atmosphere in the present work. The microstructure and properties of SiOC ceramics with different Ni content were studied. The resultant Ni-containing SiOC ceramics consists of in situ formed turbostractic layer carbon, CNTs (C nanotubes) and SiC crystals which dispersed in the SiOC matrix. With increasing content of Ni, the Ni-containing SiOC ceramics displayed less porosity. And the increasing Ni improved the mechanical, thermal and friction properties of SiOC ceramics. Ni-containing SiOC ceramics developed a carbon friction layer, which enhanced abrasion resistance to provide friction materials with stable friction coefficients and low abrasion values. A decrease in wear mass, from 2.06 to 0.18 mg was observed as the Ni content increasing from 0 to 2 wt%. The primary wear mechanisms of SiOC ceramics were recognized as abrasive wear, fatigue wear, and adhesion wear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mullite fiber-based porous ceramics is one of the most commonly used high-temperature insulation materials. However, how to further reduce the thermal conductivity and improve the strength of such materials has been a challenge in the field of high-temperature insulation. In this paper, mullite micro/nano fiber-based porous ceramic was prepared by introducing mullite nanofibers into mullite microfiber-based porous ceramics and the effect of microfiber/nanofiber weight ratio on the samples properties were characterized and analyzed. Results showed that the compressive strength and high-temperature thermal insulation properties of the porous ceramics increased significantly with an increase in the nanofiber content. For the porous ceramics with similar density (about 0.50 g/cm3), the compressive strength of the sample with a microfibers/nanofibers weight ratio of 1:2 was 1.43 MPa, which was much higher than that of the porous ceramics prepared with only microfibers (0.26 MPa). Meanwhile, the backside thermal equilibrium temperature of the sample with a microfiber/nanofiber weight ratio of 1:2 at 900 °C environment was 355.8 °C, which was much lower than that of the porous ceramic prepared with only microfibers (476.5 °C). In addition, in order to investigate the temperature resistance of mullite micro/nano fiber-based porous ceramics, the sintering temperatures was increased from 1400 °C to 1500 °C. Results shows that the high-temperature thermal insulation performance of mullite micro/nano fiber-based porous ceramics with high mullite nanofiber content decays more seriously. The back-temperature test showed that the thermal equilibrium temperature of the samples with a mullite micron/nanofiber weight ratio of 1:1 in 900 °C environment increased rapidly from 386.3 °C to 454.2 °C when the sintering temperature was increased from 1400 °C to 1500 °C. The preparation of mullite micro/nanofiber-based porous ceramics provides a new strategy to improve the performance of fiber-based porous ceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ni-containing SiOC bulk ceramics have been prepared by spark plasma sintering at 1300 °C from polysiloxane at Ar atmosphere in the present work. The microstructure and properties of SiOC ceramics with different Ni content were studied. The resultant Ni-containing SiOC ceramics consists of in situ formed turbostractic layer carbon, CNTs (C nanotubes) and SiC crystals which dispersed in the SiOC matrix. With increasing content of Ni, the Ni-containing SiOC ceramics displayed less porosity. And the increasing Ni improved the mechanical, thermal and friction properties of SiOC ceramics. Ni-containing SiOC ceramics developed a carbon friction layer, which enhanced abrasion resistance to provide friction materials with stable friction coefficients and low abrasion values. A decrease in wear mass, from 2.06 to 0.18 mg was observed as the Ni content increasing from 0 to 2 wt%. The primary wear mechanisms of SiOC ceramics were recognized as abrasive wear, fatigue wear, and adhesion wear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, according to the Dinger model, aqueous Si 3 N 4 slurries with a solid loading of 63 vol% and a viscosity lower than 1.0 Pa s were successfully prepared using two-grade Si 3 N 4 powders with D 50 = 7.2 μm and 9.4 μm as starting materials. These resulting slurries exhibited good rheological properties and suspension stability. Notably, the presence of β-Si 3 N 4 seeds existed in the starting materials effectively reduced the nucleation barrier by transforming homogeneous nucleation into heterogeneous nucleation. Consequently, it facilitated the reconstructive phase transformation of α-Si 3 N 4 to β-Si 3 N 4 , promoted the anisotropic growth of β-Si 3 N 4 nucleation, and resulted in the final formation of the bimodal microstructure. This unique microstructure significantly enhanced the mechanical properties of Si 3 N 4 ceramics, resulting in a high flexural strength of 1011.4 MPa and a fracture toughness of 14.8 MPa m1/2. These excellent properties were achieved through the combination of gelcasting and gas pressure sintering. Simultaneously, the Si 3 N 4 ceramics exhibited a low thermal conductivity of 47.7 W m−1 K−1, mainly owing to the low density of 95.3 %, the presence of low-thermal-conductivity silicate-based noncrystalline substances, and the possible existence of lattice oxygen in Si 3 N 4 crystals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lightweight ablative materials owing to their low density, high efficiency heat insulation and excellent designability, which are considered as the most promising candidate materials in the field of aerospace ablative thermal protection. In this work, a polycarbosilane (PCS) in-situ reinforced carbon felt/phenolic (PR/C f) aerogel composite is reported. The surface of aerogel and carbon fiber was coated with PCS protective layer by sol gel method and secondary vacuum impregnation process. The aerogel composite material possesses low density (0.264–0.307 g/cm3), hydrophobic, low thermal conductivity (0.121–0.178 W/(m·K)) and significant high compressive strength (12.89 MPa). When the oxygen acetylene flame with high heat flow density ablates for 20 s, it shows high efficiency in heat protection and insulation, and the linear ablation rate is as low as 0.089 mm/s. The PL/PR/C f aerogel composite shows competitive and broad application prospects in the field of ablation heat protection in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To date, the restricted capability to fabricate ceramics with independently tailored nano‐ and macroscopic features has hindered their implementation in a wide range of crucial technological areas, including aeronautics, defense, and microelectronics. In this study, a novel approach that combines self‐ and digital assembly to create polymer‐derived ceramics with highly controlled structures spanning from the nano‐ to macroscale is introduced. Polymerization‐induced microphase separation of a resin during digital light processing generates materials with nanoscale morphologies, with the distinct phases consisting of either a preceramic precursor or a sacrificial polymer. By precisely controlling the molecular weight of the sacrificial polymer, the domain size of the resulting material phases can be finely tuned. Pyrolysis of the printed objects yields ceramics with complex macroscale geometries and nanoscale porosity, which display excellent thermal and oxidation resistance, and morphology‐dependent thermal conduction properties. This method offers a valuable technological platform for the simplified fabrication of nanostructured ceramics with complex shapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the mechanism of the influence of the sintering additive ratio on the microstructure evolution of silicon nitride (Si 3 N 4) ceramics, Si 3 N 4 ceramics were prepared by gas pressure sintering using different ratios of Y 2 O 3 /MgSiN 2 as additives. Varying the ratio of Y 2 O 3 /MgSiN 2 changed the composition of the liquid phase, thereby affecting the densification process and phase transformation rate of Si 3 N 4 ceramics, and ultimately changing their microstructure. The reduction in the Y 2 O 3 /MgSiN 2 ratio raised the N/O and Si/O ratios in the system, which increased the liquid phase viscosity. The Si 3 N 4 grain distribution varied from "normal to bimodal". In the case of increasing the proportion of MgSiN 2 and prolonging the sintering time, more of the glass phase evaporated, which reduced the content of the low thermal conductivity phase and increased the continuity of Si 3 N 4 /Si 3 N 4. Therefore, Si 3 N 4 ceramics with 1 wt% Y 2 O 3 and 5 wt% MgSiN 2 exhibited excellent properties after sintering at 1900 °C for 12 h, with thermal conductivity, bending strength, and fracture toughness of 106.7 Wm−1K−1, 776 MPa, and 11.66 MPa m1/2, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the MgO-Nd 2 Zr 2 O 7 composite ceramics inert matrix (IM) was proposed as a candidate for the transmutation of Pu and minor actinides (MA) in light water reactors (LWR) or accelerator driven sub-critical system (ADS). To take full advantage of the pyrochlore structure of Nd 2 Zr 2 O 7 to accommodate different types of MA and Pu, in this work, Y and Ce co-doped ω MgO-(1- ω)(Nd 1- x Y x) 2 (Zr 1- x Ce x) 2 O 7 (M-NYZC) composite ceramics used as a candidate IM for inert matrix fuel were prepared by solid-state one-step sintering method at 1500 °C for 3 h. The phase structure and microstructure of M-NYZC composite ceramics were characterized by XRD and SEM-EDS. Also, the thermal physical properties of M-NYZC composite ceramics including the thermal expansion coefficient and thermal conductivity were investigated systematically. Results from XRD and SEM-EDS showed that the magnesium oxide and NYZC pyrochlore solid solution are intermixed well with each other, and the M-NYZC samples present uniform element distribution with a grain size of about 1 μm. Also, the as-prepared samples possessed well densified microstructure, and the average relative density of all samples could exceed 95 %. Moreover, the thermal expansion coefficient and thermal conductivity of 0.5M-0.5NYZC (x = 0, 0.15, 0.2, 0.5, 0.9) samples were located in the range of 13.4 × 10-6–14.4 × 10-6 K-1 and 16.34–3.70 W·m-1·K-1 respectively. By comparison, the thermal physical properties of 0.5M-0.5NYZC samples are superior to that of traditional UO 2 and MOX fuels. It is suggested that the M-NYZC composite ceramics prepared in this study can meet the thermal physical performances of inert matrix fuel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The porous SiC-Mullite porous ceramics with different pore size were prepared by SiC particles, kaolin, Al(OH) 3 , and flake graphite, V 2 O 5 and AlF 3 were used as mineralizers, the pore size was controllable by adjusting the size of flake graphite. Then the improved empirical formula and grey theory were used to study the effect of the change in pore size on the material properties. The results showed that with the increase of mean pore size from 1.1 μm to 8.5 μm, the cold modulus of rupture and cold crushing strength decreased by 20.8 MPa and 13.7 MPa, respectively. And the thermal conductivity increased from 1.213 W⋅m−1⋅K−1 to 1.721 W⋅m−1⋅K−1 at 800 °C. The <5 μm pores were helped enhance the strength and decreased the thermal conductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reaction-bonded SiC is a ceramic with excellent thermal properties, good corrosion resistance and the characteristic of near-net-shape manufacturing. However, the poor fracture toughness of free Si limits the applications of reaction-bonded SiC. In this study, TiC was added to reaction-bonded SiC and reacted with free Si to form Ti 3 SiC 2. The effects of TiC and carbon black on the mechanical properties of reaction-bonded SiC were investigated. The results demonstrated that the in-situ formation of Ti 3 SiC 2 and decrease in the content and size of free Si improved the mechanical properties of reaction-bonded SiC ceramics. The mechanical properties of TiC-added reaction-bonded SiC with 17.5 wt% carbon black were superior to those of TiC-added reaction-bonded SiC with 15 wt% carbon black. Moreover, increasing the TiC content of reaction-bonded SiC with 17.5 wt% carbon black from 0 to 7.5 wt% caused an increase in its bending strength from 183.92 to 424.43 MPa and an increase in fracture toughness from 3.7 to 5.24 MPa m1/2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Part 1 of this study, we investigated the macrokinetic parameters and phase formation mechanism in the combustion front of Zr–Nb–B mixtures. In the second part, we produced consolidated samples of solid solutions NbB 2 -(0.100%)ZrB 2 by hot pressing the combustion-derived powders at 1900 °C. By measuring the crystallographic parameters, mechanical and thermophysical properties of the produced bulk samples, we obtained valuable insights into the behavior of the solid solutions. Our results pave the way for the application-specific fine-tuning of the mechanical properties and thermal conductivity of diboride solid solutions in the Zr–Nb–B system for ultra-high temperature applications. Our findings have significant implications for the development of advanced materials with outstanding performance in extreme environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, (20- x)MgO–20Al 2 O 3 –56SiO 2 –4B 2 O 3 - x CuO (x = 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1, 1.25 mol%) glass-ceramics were synthesized by solid-state reaction method. The crystallization, microstructure, thermal and dielectric properties of (20- x)MgO–20Al 2 O 3 –56SiO 2 –4B 2 O 3 - x CuO glass-ceramics was discussed in detail. It was demonstrated that the CuO lowers the crystallization temperature of α-cordierite and promotes the crystallization process of MgO–Al 2 O 3 –SiO–B 2 O 3 glass-ceramics. Thus, the crystallization showed a substantial influence on the dielectric properties, as evidenced by an elevation in dielectric constant and a decrease in dielectric loss. Specifically, with the addition of 0.5 mol% CuO, the MgO–Al 2 O 3 –SiO–B 2 O 3 glass-ceramics sintered at 1050 °C shows excellent properties of: ε r = 5.04, tan δ = 2.2 × 10-4, κ = 3.4 W/mK and α = 1.75 × 10-6/°C. These works provide valuable insights into the design and development of (20- x)MgO–20Al 2 O 3 –56SiO 2 –4B 2 O 3 - x CuO glass-ceramics with tailored properties for structure/function integration in the electronics industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, Nd 2 O 3 -doped 0.11PIN-0.89PHT (PIN-PHT) single-phase tetragonal piezoelectric ceramics are prepared by traditional solid-phase method. In addition, impacts of Nd-doping on crystal structure and electrical performance for 0.11PIN-0.89PHT ceramics are systematically investigated. Based on Landau theory, we propose a novel strategy for obtaining high-performance ceramics by combining tetragonal phase and relaxor ferroelectrics. Results reveal that the introduction of polar nano-regions in tetragonal phase ceramics by doping with rare-earth ions to convert normal ferroelectrics into relaxed ferroelectrics is responsible for excellent properties of 0.11PIN-0.89PHT- x Nd ceramics. The optimized comprehensive performance is obtained at x = 0.9 mol%, where d 33 = 670 pC/N, S max = 0.29% (45 kV/cm), strain hysteresis = 8.68% (45 kV/cm), d 33 * = 736 p.m./V (30 kV/cm), T C = 312.6 °C, ε r = 3234, k p = 0.62, tan δ = 0.014, and excellent high-temperature stability in temperature range of 20–240 °C. After 106 cycles, electrical properties and strain remain unchanged, showing excellent anti-fatigue behavior. This work provides a novel approach for the development of ceramics with outstanding piezoelectric response, high strain, low strain hysteresis, excellent anti-fatigue resistance and thermal stability, and is expected to realize practical applications of piezoelectric ceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, Faraday isolators and rotators for high‐power lasers are popular research topics; therefore, finding magneto‐optical materials with excellent Verdet constants and thermal properties is crucial. In this study, novel holmium scandium aluminum garnet (HoSAG) magneto‐optical ceramics were fabricated using vacuum sintering. This study improved the traditional ball milling method and pre‐synthesized powders with great sinterability after secondary ball milling and sieving. Different pre‐synthesis temperatures were found to have significant effects on the particle size and micromorphology of the synthesized powders. HoSAG ceramics with 0.05 wt% MgO sintering aid and held at 1700°C for 30 h reached a transmittance of 76.7% at 1550 nm. Meanwhile, HoSAG transparent ceramics maintain higher transmittance in the infrared region (>1500 nm) than terbium gallium garnet (TGG) crystals, indicating better application prospects. The Verdet constants of HoSAG magneto‐optical ceramics at 405, 532, 808, and 1064 nm were −421.5, −181.2, −65, and −32.3 rad T−1 m−1, respectively, which are slightly less than those of TGG magneto‐optical ceramics. Moreover, the thermal conductivity of HoSAG ceramics at 300.00 K was 4.89 W m−1 K−1, which is comparable to that of the TGG ceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the cold sintering assisted process was utilized to fabricate dense 0–3 type (1- x)BaTiO 3 - x CaTiO 3 :Pr3+ ((1- x)BT- x CT:Pr3+, x = 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3) binary composite ceramics. Under the combined action of uniaxial pressure and temperature, CT:Pr3+ has been successfully integrated with BT to form the preliminary BT-CT:Pr3+ composites during cold sintering. It is found that the cold sintering could increase the grain size a little, and annealing at 900 °C significantly promotes the grain size. The prepared (1- x)BT- x CT:Pr3+ composite ceramics have a pure phase of CT:Pr3+, which is difficult to prepare using high temperature solid reaction method when x < 0.23. It is found that all the composite ceramics exhibit excellent ferroelectric properties. Furthermore, a strong photoluminescence, photo-stimulated luminescence and thermal luminescence properties have been obtained. Present study illustrates a potential approach to combine luminescent and piezoelectric properties into the ferroelectric-based composite ceramics by the cold sintering assisted sintering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SiO2‐Al2O3‐CaO‐based glass (10–60 wt%)/mullite composites were investigated for the LTCC and radome applications. The optimum densification temperatures decreased from 1550°C (10 wt% glass) to 1400°C (30 wt% glass) by means of liquid‐phase sintering, and to 850°C–825°C (50–60 wt% glass) by means of viscous phase sintering. XRD analysis showed that mullite was the main phase as well as in situ crystallized anorthite after 825°C. The composite with 20 wt% glass was a suitable candidate for the radome applications (bulk density = 2.86 g/cm3 after sintering at 1450°C, dielectric constant (loss) = 7.12 (0.0025) at 5 MHz, thermal expansion coefficient = 4.27 ppm/°C between 25°C and 800°C, thermal shock resistance parameter = 162°C), and the composite with 50 wt% glass was a suitable candidate for the low‐temperature cofired ceramic applications (bulk density = 2.64 g/cm3 after sintering at 850°C, dielectric constant (loss) = 6.79 (0.0043) at 5 MHz, thermal conductivity = 2.11 W/m⋅K at 25°C, and thermal expansion coefficient = 3.93 ppm/°C between 25°C and 300°C). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To expand the application of zirconia ceramics in thermal insulation, this study proposes a method to prepare Yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal ceramics (3Y-TZP ceramics) with fine and complex triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS structures) using digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing technology. The 3Y-TZP ceramic green body was sintered using a two-step method. When sintered at 1450 °C for 3 h, 3Y-TZP ceramics with a relative density of 98.6 ± 0.2% and a flexural strength of 937 ± 24 MPa were finally obtained. Three types of TPMS 3Y-TZP ceramic structures were successfully prepared. A finite element method was employed to validate the mechanical and thermal insulation properties through in-depth experimental studies. The results demonstrate that the diamond structure exhibited the lowest thermal conductivity of 0.93 ± 0.035 W/(mK) and the highest compressive strength of 166.5 ± 27.3 MPa at 67% porosity. The TPMS-type porous 3Y-TZP ceramics prepared by DLP technology have both load-bearing and thermal insulation properties, making them potentially promising for thermal insulation applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hierarchically porous La 2 Zr 2 O 7 (LZO) microsphere fabricated by the electro-spraying assisted phase inversion (ESP) method is a promising feedstock for thermal barrier coatings (TBCs), due to its low thermal conductivity, quite high near-infrared reflectivity and high temperature structure stability. However, the thermal properties of hierarchically porous LZO ceramics above 1000 K are still unclear, limiting its application in TBCs. The effect of hierarchical structure on thermal conduction and thermal radiation was investigated in comparison with mono-sized pores, using the ESP microspheres (LZO-ESP) and other two carbon fillers to modulate the pores. The results showed that LZO-ESP samples exhibited ultra-low thermal conductivity (1.28 W m−1 K−1 at 1173 K), which was 30% lower than that of the reference samples of similar porosity. Heat flux simulation revealed that hierarchical structure can induce more disorder domains than the randomly distributed mono-sized pores. The disorder domains with high tortuosity of heat flux played a predominant role in the reduction of thermal conductivity. Additionally, the hierarchical structure significantly reduced thermal radiation by 36% compared with dense sample due to the decrease in transmissivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mullite/glass/nano aluminum nitride (AlN) filler (1–10 wt% AlN) composites were successfully fabricated for the low‐temperature co‐fired ceramics applications that require densification temperatures lower than 950°C, high thermal conductivity to dissipate heat and thermal expansion coefficient matched to Si for reliability, and low dielectric constant for high signal transmission speed. Densification temperatures were ≤825°C for all composites due to the viscous sintering of the glass matrix. X‐ray diffraction proved that AlN neither chemically reacted with other phases nor decomposed with temperature. The number of closed pores increased with the AlN content, which limited the property improvement expected. A dense mullite/glass/AlN (10 wt%) composite had a thermal expansion coefficient of 4.44 ppm/°C between 25 and 300°C, thermal conductivity of 1.76 W/m.K at 25°C, dielectric constant (loss) of 6.42 (0.0017) at 5 MHz, flexural strength of 88 MPa and elastic modulus of 82 GPa, that are comparable to the commercial low temperature co‐fired ceramics products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phase composition, microstructure, electrical and thermal properties of hot-pressed AlN-2 wt% Yb 2 O 3 -4 wt% Sm 2 O 3 - x wt% TiN (x = 0, 0.4, 0.8, 1, 2, 3, 4) ceramics were systematically investigated. Yb 2 O 3 and Sm 2 O 3 were used to react with Al 2 O 3 in AlN to form Yb 3 Al 5 O 12 , SmAlO 3 and SmAl 11 O 18 , which made the samples densely sintered. When sintered at higher than 1700 °C, the electrical resistivity of AlN ceramics with 2 wt% Yb 2 O 3 -4 wt% Sm 2 O 3 decreased significantly to 1010 Ω·cm. This decrease in resistivity was probably caused by the continuity of the secondary phase, which encasing the AlN grains and deteriorating the thermal conductivity. When sintered at 1650 °C, the addition of 0.4–4.0 wt% TiN reduces the electrical resistivity from 8.9 × 1012 to 2 × 1010 Ω·cm while maintaining thermal conductivity at around 90 W/m·K with high compactness. Finally, a series of high performance AlN ceramics, with adjustable electrical/thermal properties, could be obtained for modern semiconductor industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rare-earth (RE) oxide-doped La 2 (Zr 0.7 Ce 0.3) 2 O 7 (LZC) has attracted great interest in thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) because of its lower thermal conductivity. However, studies on the laws governing the effect of different types of RE oxide doping on the performance of LZC ceramics are limited. Therefore, in this study, different types of RE (Sc, Y, Gd and Eu) doped LZC ceramic bulks have been prepared using solid phase reaction method. The effects of RE doping on the crystal structure, mechanical properties and thermal properties of the LZC ceramics were investigated. The results indicated that all five ceramics exhibited a single pyrochlore phase structure, whereas their lattice constants were reduced after doping, with (La 0.85 Sc 0.15) 2 (Zr 0.7 Ce 0.3) 2 O 7 having the lowest lattice constant. The effect of rare earth doping on the grain growth of LZC was not evident; however, it could significantly improve the hardness of LZC. In addition, doping with all four RE ions significantly reduced the thermal conductivity of the LZC ceramics, and the most significant reduction was observed for Gd3+ doping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Six rare‐earth tantalate high‐entropy ceramics of (5RE.2)Ta3O9 (RE represents any five elements selected from La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd) were designed and prepared by spark plasma sintering process at 1400°C in this study. The (5RE.2)Ta3O9 ceramics only consist of a single‐phase solid solution with perovskite structure. Their relative densities are all above 90%, and the average grain size is in the range of 1.47–2.92 μm. The thermal conductivity of (5RE.2)Ta3O9 ceramics is in 2.24–1.90 W m−1 K−1 (25°C–500°C), which is much lower than that of yttria‐stabilized zirconia. In six samples, (La.2Nd.2Sm.2Gd.2Eu.2)Ta3O9 possesses a thermal conductivity of 1.90 W m−1 K−1, a thermal expansion coefficient of 3.47 × 10−6 K−1 (500°C), a Vickers hardness of about 7.33 GPa, and a fracture toughness of about 5.20 MPa m1/2, which are suitable for its application as thermal barrier coatings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dy 2 TiO 5 ceramics with small grain size range of 1.5–3 μm were successfully prepared by microwave sintering method. The phase composition, microstructure, thermal expansion, stability, corrosion resistance and neutron absorption properties of Dy 2 TiO 5 ceramics were investigated. The results show that Dy 2 TiO 5 ceramics possess high mechanical properties due to the small grain size, with a microhardness of 12.26 GPa. The addition of Mo significantly reduces the thermal expansion phenomenon of the sample. The oxide film formed on the surface of the Dy 2 TiO 5 ceramic enhances its excellent corrosion resistance. In addition, the Dy 2 TiO 5 ceramic shows excellent neutron absorption with 87.34% neutron absorption and over 94% thermal neutron absorption in 8 cm thick particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we investigated the tunable porous structure of SiCN(O)-derived ceramic aerogels by changing the molecular structure of the polysilazanes from linear to branched. We also studied the effect of molecular structure on the thermal insulation properties of ceramic aerogels. As the percentage of branched molecular structure in the polysilazane precursor increased, the internal microscopic pore structure of the aerogels changed from macroporous to mesoporous. The specific surface areas and pore volumes of the ceramic aerogels prepared with different precursors increased after pyrolysis at 1000 °C, ranging from 3.7 to 255.9 m2/g and 0.01–0.36 cm3/g, respectively. The corresponding thermal conductivities increased slightly as the aerogels contracted after pyrolysis. The low thermal conductivity (0.046 W/(m·K) at minimum) can be attributed to the decrease in pore size caused by adjusting the precursor structure, which limits the thermal conduction of gas in the porous aerogel materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the ceramics with composition of (0.98- x)(K 0.5 Na 0.5)(Nb 0.96 Sb 0.04)O 3 -0.02(Bi 0.5 Na 0.5)(Zr 0.8 Ti 0.2)O 3- x CaZrO 3 (abbreviated as (0.98- x)KNNS-0.02BNZT- x CZ, x = 0, 0.01, 0.015, 0.02, 0.025, 0.03) were prepared by a traditional solid-state reaction method. The effect of the additional amount of CaZrO 3 on the phase structure, microstructure, dispersion index, domain structure and piezoelectric properties of ceramics was systematically studied. Finally, the piezoelectric properties and thermal stability of ceramics could be controlled by adding different amounts of CaZrO 3. The addition of CaZrO 3 transferred the phase structure of the ceramics from orthogonal-tetragonal (O-T) coexistence phase to rhombohedral-orthogonal (R–O) coexistence phase, which could be demonstrated by XRD test, temperature-dependent Raman spectra and ε r ‐ T plot analysis. And when x = 0.02, the ceramics possessed the best piezoelectric and dielectric properties (d 33 = 253 pC/N, ε r = 1185, tan δ = 0.044). Such excellent electrical properties could be originated from the heterogeneous domain structure and small-size nano-domains of the ceramics. Moreover, with the increase of CaZrO 3 doping amount, the dispersion index of ceramics gradually increased from 1.404 to 1.871, which showed more obvious dispersion phase transition characteristics and improved the thermal stability of ceramics. Particularly, when x = 0.02, after annealing at a high temperature of 220 °C (close to its Curie temperature), the d 33 tested at room temperature remained above 85% of that without annealing. The results indicated that (0.98- x)KNNS-0.02BNZT- x CZ ceramic was a promising lead-free piezoelectric ceramic system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clays from Alhabia (Almería, Spain) have been investigated in this work using several analytical techniques: X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), thermal analysis (Thermogravimetry, TG, and its first derivative, DTG), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDS). Texture characteristics (granulometry) and plasticity have been examined. The main ceramic properties (firing shrinkage, water absorption, bulk density, open porosity, flexural strength and thermal conductivity) have been determined using pressed and fired clay samples. Thus, the mineralogical, chemical, textural and ceramic features of these clays have been evidenced for the first time. The mineralogical analysis by XRD indicated that the clay samples are constituted by a mixture of chlorite and illite, as main clay minerals, being quartz and other minerals in lower relative proportion (calcite, gypsum and hematite). This finding is important because the investigations on chlorite-illite-calcitic clays are very scarce. The chemical analysis by XRF showed that silica and alumina are predominant, as expected by the mineralogy, with medium contents of calcium oxide, from calcite, and alkalis, from illite, being ∼8 and ∼5%, respectively, besides iron and titanium oxides (∼8%). The particle size analysis showed 71.76% of "clay fraction" (<2 μm) and 21.66% of silt fraction (2–50 μm). The plasticity index (Atterberg) was 14.3%, with acceptable moulding and extrusion properties. Thermal analysis by TG/DTG indicated a weight loss associated to dehydroxylation of structural water of the clay minerals and decarbonation of calcite by progressive heating. After the characterization of raw clays, the next step was the determination of ceramic properties of mixed and ground clays after firing using pressed bodies. For this purpose, two firing temperatures were selected (900 and 1100 °C) for 1 h. The examination of the resultant fired bodies indicated that porous ceramic materials (∼36% open porosity and ∼22% of water absorption capacity) can be obtained by firing at 900 ᵒC, with small variations in dimensions (<0.8% at 1100 °C). The porosity changed at relatively lower values by firing at 1100 °C (∼34–35%), being associated to the presence of decomposed calcite. Bulk density was found almost constant from 900 to 1100 °C, with a maximum value of ∼1.67 g/cm3 at 1100 °C. Flexural strength reached a maximum value of 34.47 MPa at 1100 °C for the ground sample. Finally, thermal conductivity after firing the clay bodies was found almost constant at 900 and 1100 °C (0.457 and 0.479 W/mK, respectively). Taking into account these results, the main applications of the Alhabia clays have been evaluated. These clays can be used for the fabrication of porous ceramic supports and tiles by firing at 900 °C. Firing the clays at higher temperature (1100 °C) is of great interest for the fabrication of ceramic tiles and ceramic bricks of higher flexural strength with variable porosity and practically constant in dimensions. It is economically important although at higher processing costs. Finally, it can be emphasized that this work is a contribution of a better scientific knowledge of chlorite-illite-calcitic clays as ceramic raw materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of investigations on the development of compositions of ceramic bodies for obtaining effective heat-insulating materials and products are presented. The materials were obtained by pressing with the use of kaolin clays differing in plasticity as well as fire-resistance. A porous structure of the material was created by introducing a porous filler in the form of swollen hydromica, developed according to the ferruginous hydrophlogopite type, in an amount of 50 wt.%. The apparent density and the mechanical strength were investigated as functions of the press-pressure and shrinkage on firing. The use of expanded hydromica made it possible to obtain products with density up to 1000 kg/m3 while thermomechanical properties retention up to 1050°C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3‐based ceramics with high remnant polarization Pr have shown outstanding potential in the application of high‐power ferroelectric transducers. However, low depolarization temperature Td is an obstacle for their application. Here, a composition design strategy was proposed to simultaneously improve the Td and Pr in BNT‐based materials. Ultrahigh Pr of 40.56 µC/cm2 and relative high Td of 184°C were synergistically achieved in (Bi0.5Na0.5)(Ti0.995Mn0.005)O3 (BNMT) ceramics by adding 1.0 mol% BiGaO3 (BG), which is superior to other reported lead‐free systems. The excellent ferroelectric properties were attributed to strengthen ferroelectric order as evidenced by increased rhombohedral distortion. Meanwhile, the enhanced depolarization temperature, increasing from 168°C for x = 0% to 184°C for x = 1.0%, can be ascribed to the suppression of the thermal‐induced ferroelectric‐relaxor phase transition by adding BG. Those results enable the BNMT‐BG systems ceramics to be an attractive candidate for application in high‐power supplies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porous high-entropy ceramics are a new alternative material for thermal insulation. Their better stability and low thermal conductivity are due to lattice distortion and unique pore structures. In this work, rare-earth-zirconate ((La0.25Eu0.25Gd0.25Yb0.25)2(Zr0.75Ce0.25)2O7) porous high-entropy ceramics were fabricated by a tert-butyl alcohol (TBA)-based gel-casting method. The regulation of pore structures was realized through changing different initial solid loadings. The XRD, HRTEM, and SAED results showed that the porous high-entropy ceramics had a single fluorite phase without impurity phases, exhibiting high porosity (67.1–81.5%), relatively high compressive strength (1.02–6.45 MPa) and low thermal conductivity (0.0642–0.1213 W/(m·K)) at room temperature. Porous high-entropy ceramics with 81.5% porosity demonstrated excellent thermal properties, showing a thermal conductivity of 0.0642 W/(m·K) at room temperature and 0.1467 W/(m·K) at 1200 °C. The unique pore structure with a micron size contributed to their excellent thermal insulating performance. The present work provides the prospect that rare-earth-zirconate porous high-entropy ceramics with tailored pore structures are expected to be thermal insulation materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

h-BN is a two-dimensional ceramic material with a lamellar structure, known for its typical orientation characteristics on mechanical and thermal properties. By optimizing the size and arrangement of h-BN grains in the matrix, the anisotropic characteristics of h-BN ceramics can be fully utilized to obtain ceramic materials with high thermal conductivity or high strength. In order to study the effect of grain orientation distribution on the mechanical and thermal properties of materials, the index of orientation distribution (IOP) was used to quantitatively characterize the orientation degree of h-BN grains and analyzed the effect of h-BN grain size on material properties. The results show when the initial h-BN size is 13.50 μm, the ceramic has the highest orientation degree/-507, and the mechanical and thermal properties show obvious anisotropy. While the related properties of BN-YAG ceramics varies significantly with the decrease of initial h-BN grain size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transparent calcium oxide (CaO) ceramic was successfully fabricated by pressureless vacuum sintering technique with 0.5 at% YF 3 as the sintering additive. In consideration of the hydrolysis of CaO, the precursor powders were calcined at 600 °C. Within the sintering temperature range of 1150–1450 °C, the effect of YF 3 additive on the phase structure, relative density, transmittance, and microstructure of CaO ceramics was studied. Benefiting from the assisted liquid-phase sintering mechanism and vacancy diffusion mechanism of YF 3 , full-dense (3.35 g/cm3) YF 3 -doped CaO transparent ceramic was fabricated at 1350 °C with high thermal conductivity of 15.42 W/(m·K). The in-line transmittance attained 47.10% at the wavelength of 1200 nm. Moreover, the hydrolysis resistance was extremely enhanced due to the pore-free structure. Compared to the CaO ceramic with low relative density of 78.66%, the weight gain of full-dense CaO ceramic greatly decreased from 22% to 1.2% within 35 days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to study the effect of variation in the component ratio of (1−x)Si3N4-xAl2O3 ceramics on the phase composition, strength and thermal properties of ceramics. To obtain ceramics and their further study, the solid-phase synthesis method combined with thermal annealing of samples at a temperature of 1500 °C typical for the initialization of phase transformation processes was used. The relevance and novelty of this study lies in obtaining new data on the processes of phase transformations with a variation in the composition of ceramics, as well as determining the effect of the phase composition on the resistance of ceramics to external influences. According to X-ray phase analysis data, it was found that an increase in the Si3N4 concentration in the composition of ceramics leads to a partial displacement of the tetragonal phase of SiO2 and Al2(SiO4)O and an increase in the contribution of Si3N4. Evaluation of the optical properties of the synthesized ceramics depending on the ratio of the components showed that the formation of the Si3N4 phase leads to an increase in the band gap and the absorbing ability of the ceramics due to the formation of additional absorption bands from 3.7–3.8 eV. Analysis of the strength dependences showed that an increase in the contribution of the Si3N4 phase with subsequent displacement of the oxide phases leads to a strengthening of the ceramic by more than 15–20%. At the same time, it was found that a change in the phase ratio leads to the hardening of ceramics, as well as an increase in crack resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The porous silicon carbide ceramics with multilevel directional pores were prepared by chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) combined with sacrificial template method. Carbon fiber preform with specific structure was used as template, and silicon carbide was deposited by CVI process. Then, the carbon fiber template was oxidized and removed, so that the porous silicon carbide ceramics were obtained. The influence of deposition time on pore structure, mechanical properties and thermal properties was studied. Compared with the traditional pore-making process, the pores formed by sacrificial template method are more regular, which brings excellent mechanical properties and thermal insulation properties. The porosity and flexural strength of the sample deposited for 72 h can reach 66.00% and 67.52 MPa, respectively, the thermal conductivity can be kept below 1 W/(m·K) from room temperature to 1200 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermal barrier coatings with excellent thermal performance and corrosion resistance are essential for improving the performance of aero-engines. In this paper, (Y 3-x Yb x)(Al 5-x Sc x)O 12 (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3) thermal barrier coating materials were synthesized by a combination of sol-gel method and ball milling refinement method. The thermal properties of the (Y 3-x Yb x)(Al 5-x Sc x)O 12 ceramics were significantly improved by increasing Yb and Sc doping content. Among designed ceramics, (Y 2.8 Yb 0.2)(Al 4.8 Sc 0.2)O 12 (YS-YAG) showed the lowest thermal conductivity (1.58 Wm−1K−1, at 800 °C) and the highest thermal expansion coefficient (10.7 × 10−6 K−1, at 1000 °C). In addition, calcium-magnesium- aluminum -silicate (CMAS) corrosion resistance of YS-YAG was further investigated. It was observed that YS-YAG ceramic effectively prevented CMAS corrosion due to its chemical inertness to CMAS as well as its unique and complex structure. Due to the excellent thermal properties and CMAS corrosion resistance, YS-YAG is considered to be prospective material for thermal barrier coatings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sustainable development goals (SDGs), including 17 goals and 169 targets, were adopted unanimously by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015. The aims are to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure peace, health, and prosperity of all people over the world. Toward the SDGs, human beings must effectively utilize the global resources, such as (1) oceans, seas, rivers, lakes, and so forth that supply us with water and aquatic resources; (2) land, ground, and soil where we can raise agricultural crops and livestock; (3) forests and woods that provide us with lumber and paper and convert carbon dioxide to oxygen; and (4) fossil fuel and mineral resources, which are essential to our modern lives. The use of macroporous ceramics is definitely conducive to the solutions to achieve the SDGs, because it can help solve many of the related technical issues. This review addresses macroporous ceramics primarily for filtration and purification, agriculture and fisheries industry, thermal managements, sensing devices, and constructions, which contribute to achieving SDGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]