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Abstract Textured hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) matrix composite ceramics were prepared by hot pressing using 3Y 2 O 3 -5Al 2 O 3 (mole ratio of 3:5) and 3Y 2 O 3 -5Al 2 O 3 -4MgO (mole ratio of 3:5:4) as liquid phase sintering additives, respectively. During the sintering process with liquid phase environments, platelike h-BN grains were rotated to be perpendicular to the sintering pressure, forming the preferred orientation with the c -axis parallel to the sintering pressure. Both h-BN matrix ceramic specimens show significant texture microstructures and anisotropic mechanical and thermal properties. The h-BN matrix ceramics prepared with 3Y 2 O 3 -5Al 2 O 3 -4MgO possess higher texture degree and better mechanical properties. While the anisotropy of thermal conductivities of that prepared with 3Y 2 O 3 -5Al 2 O 3 is more significant. The phase compositions and degree of grain orientation are the key factors that affect their anisotropic properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract TiB 2 –40 wt% TiC composites were prepared by pressureless sintering. Prior to the conventional heating at 2000 °C for 1 h for final densification, addition of a low temperature hold at 1500 °C for 4 h was found effective in densification of the composite, refining the microstructure and promoting the anisotropic growth of TiB 2 grains. The TiB 2 -TiC composite prepared by two-step sintering had better mechanical properties with flexural strength of 776 MPa and fracture toughness of 7.43 MPa m1/2, in comparison with the values of 419 MPa and 4.81 MPa m1/2 for composite by conventional one-step sintering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 0.8Bi 3.15 Nd 0.85 Ti 3 O 12 (BNdT)-0.2CoFe 2 O 4 (CFO) composite multiferroic ceramics have been fabricated by spark plasma sintering (SPS) at 850 °C. The relative density of as-sintered SPS ceramic reaches 97.4 (±0.3)%. The composites are composed of pure BNdT and CFO phases without any preferred c -orientation. The a -orientation preference is more obvious perpendicular to the pressure direction. The average grain-sizes of BNdT and CFO are 163 and 146 nm, respectively. The BNdT phase has more grains below 100 nm (∼20%). The super energy-dispersive X-ray analyses suggest no serious reaction between BNdT and CFO. The Raman spectrum verifies the nano-structure of the SPS ceramic via the broadening bands and peak shifts. The Curie temperature of the SPS ceramic declines to 560 °C with stabilized dielectric loss. The grain boundary resistance plays a dominant role on impedance above 700 °C. The remanent polarization approaches to 15.2 μC/cm 2 (300 kV/cm) with lower coercive fields (−89/+95 kV/cm). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel pressure-assisted transient viscous phase sintering process has been used to fabricate dense BN-ZrO 2 -SiC composites at relatively low sintering temperatures. The sintering behavior and densification mechanism of BN-ZrO 2 -SiC composites incorporated with B 2 O 3 as transient viscous phase have been investigated. A rapid densification process occurs at about 1300 °C, which is attributed to the in-situ formation of SiO 2 by chemical reactions among ZrO 2 , SiC and B 2 O 3 . BN-ZrO 2 -SiC composites sintered at 1300 °C under 100 MPa exhibit a relative density of 95.9%, a flexural strength of 242 MPa and a fracture toughness of 4.1 MPa m 1/2 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since its invention, alumina ceramics have been extensively investigated for potential various applications. However, their intrinsic brittle nature is still an insurmountable obstacle when they are applied as structural components. This paper provides a simple routs to prepare ductile alumina based composites with the addition of chopped carbon fiber (C sf /Al 2 O 3 -BN). Effects of fiber length and sintering temperature on the microstructure, phase composition, mechanical properties together with fracture behavior were systematically investigated. The results showed that composites with mixed fiber lengths of 12 mm and 1 mm exhibited homogeneous microstructure and striking enhancement in mechanical performances compared with composites with other fiber length. With the increase in sintering temperature from 1500 °C to 1650 °C, interfacial bonding strength increased and interface state converted from mechanical interlocking at 1500 °C into chemical bonding at 1650 °C. Chemical reaction in the composites degraded carbon fiber properties, which resulted in the decrease in mechanical performance of the composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]