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Translucent zirconias have been developed with better esthetics than high-strength zirconias by reducing opacity. However, studies on their translucency and strength are sparse.The purpose of this in vitro study was to compare the relationship between translucency and biaxial flexural strength of recently developed high-translucency zirconia, high-strength zirconia, and lithium disilicate ceramics.Disks (n=12) were fabricated for 5 ceramic materials: high-strength zirconia (BruxZir 16 shaded), translucent zirconia (BruxZir Anterior shaded, Katana UTML, Katana STML), and lithium disilicate (IPS e.max, Press HT, and LT). A standard tessellation language (STL) file was designed, and the specimen milled, finished, and glazed according to manufacturer's instructions for each material. The translucency parameter was calculated against black and white backgrounds and white and stump shade with ND4 background by using a spectrophotometer. Biaxial flexural strength was calculated by using the 3-ball test. The load was applied at a crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/min with a 49-N load cell until failure occurred. Translucency parameter and biaxial flexural strength data were analyzed with 1-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). A Tukey honest significant difference multiple comparison test was used to determine significant differences (α=.05).The IPS e.max HT was more translucent against both backgrounds (32.85 for black/white and 15.34 for white/stump), while BruxZir 16 was the least translucent (19.78 for B/W and 8.83 for W/S). All groups tested differed in translucency (P.001) except for BruxZir Anterior and Katana STML, which were not significantly different (P=.052). For biaxial flexural strength, BruxZir 16 had the highest strength (995.44 MPa) and e.max HT, the lowest (186.75 MPa). No significant differences were found between BruxZir anterior and Katana STML, Katana UTML and IPS e.max LT, or IPS e.max LT and IPS e.max HT (P.05). Translucency parameter values using both backgrounds were strongly correlated (r=0.99). However, biaxial flexural strength values were inversely related to translucency parameter values when using black/white and white/stump shade but with high correlation (r=-0.777 and -0.756 respectively).Lithium disilicate was the most translucent and yet the weakest material, whereas high-strength zirconia was the most opaque ceramic and the strongest. Katana UTML had the highest translucency but was weakest among translucent and high-strength zirconia materials. Overall, translucency was negatively correlated with biaxial flexural strength.

Waste management has become a new challenge for the construction industries since rapid urbanization is taking place worldwide. Ceramic waste is one such material which is being originated from construction sites and industries, imposing a significant risk to the environment due to its non-biodegradable nature. With the goal of waste utilization, this study aims to predict the compressive and splitting tensile strength of concrete made with waste Coarse Ceramic aggregate (CCA) and Nylon Fiber (NF) by using two distinct machine learning algorithms, namely, Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Gradient Boosting Machine (GBM). A comprehensive data set for testing and training the models containing 162 records of compressive and splitting tensile strength test results were considered from nine mix proportions. For training the dataset, parameters like cement content, sand content, stone content, ceramic content, nylon fiber content, curing duration, and concrete strength were taken as input variables. The predicted strengths obtained from the SVM and GBM based models are found to be in close agreement with the experimental results. In terms of coefficient of determination (R2), GBM showed significantly better result for both compressive strength (e.g., SVM Overall R2 = 0.879 & GBM Overall R2 = 0.981) and tensile strength (e.g., SVM Overall R2 = 0.706 & GBM Overall R2 = 0.923) prediction. Furthermore, based on the statistical accuracy measures like the mean absolute error (MAE), mean square error (MSE), root mean square error (RMSE), it has been observed that GBM has yielded much better performance compared to SVM in predicting the mechanical strength of concrete.

Anatomic-contour zirconia prostheses are usually cemented with resin cement. However, information regarding the effects of the zirconia shade and thicknesses on the translucency of the prosthesis, the intensity of the transmitted light beneath the prosthesis, and the subsequent degree of conversion in the resin cement is sparse.The purpose of this in vitro study was to investigate the translucency parameter in 3 anatomic-contour zirconia specimens of 2 shades at 5 different thicknesses and to investigate the transmitted light intensity and degree of conversion of the resin cement beneath the ceramic specimens by using a traditional zirconia and a lithium disilicate glass ceramic as controls.Ceramic specimens from 1 anatomic-contour zirconia in a generic shade (CAP FZ) and 2 anatomic-contour zirconias in A2 shade (Zirlux and Luxisse) were used. Lithium disilicate in HT A2 shade (IPS e.max CAD) and traditional zirconia in a generic shade (CAP QZ) were used as controls. A total of 125 ceramic specimens (n=25) were fabricated to a final specimen dimension of 12×12 mm and in thicknesses of 1.0, 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, and 2.0 mm according to the manufacturers' recommendations. The CIELab color space for all specimens placed against a white and black ground was measured with a spectrophotometer (CM-2600D), and the translucency parameters were calculated for the materials at various thicknesses. A light-polymerizing unit (DEMI LED) was used to polymerize the resin cement (Variolink II) placed beneath the ceramic specimens. Transmitted light intensity from the polymerization unit beneath the ceramic specimens was measured by using a spectrophotometer (MARC Resin Calibrator), and the transmittance of each specimen was calculated. The coefficient of absorption of each material was calculated from the regression analysis between the natural log of transmittance and specimen thickness. The degree of conversion of resin cement was measured by using a Fourier transformation infrared (FTIR) spectrophotometer. The results were analyzed by using 2-way ANOVA (α=.05). The relationship between the transmittance and the translucency parameter was evaluated by plotting the transmittance against the translucency parameter value of each specimen.The translucency parameter decreased with increasing thickness in all 5 material groups. All anatomic-contour zirconia had lower translucency parameters than e-max CAD (P.001). The same results were found for the intensity of the transmitted light (P.001). Both A2 shade anatomic-contour zirconia (Zirlux and Luxisse) showed significantly lower light transmittance than a generic shade anatomic-contour zirconia (CAP FZ) (P.001). The coefficients of absorption were found to range from 0.63 to 1.72 mmThe translucency parameter and the transmitted light intensity of ceramic material were influenced by the type of ceramic and the shade and thickness of the ceramic. The combined effects of layer thickness and the intensity of the transmitted light in the A2 shade anatomic-contour zirconia (Zirlux and Luxisse) resulted in a lower degree of conversion in resin cement than in a generic shade anatomic-contour zirconia (CAP FZ) at layer thicknesses of 1.75 and 2 mm.

In the recent studies additive manufacturing technology prove their importance in every field because of its accessibility increases as the earlier patents expired which gives an opportunity to the manufacturers to develop different types of 3D printing devices as per need. There are different types of material available in the market and for every type of material we need an additive manufacturing method to print these materials layer by layer on top of each other by using 3D CAD models (Mazzanti et al., 2019). In this paper we discusses wide range of materials in details with respective 3D printing techniques. Further materials which are most commonly used such as polymers, metals and alloys, composites, concrete, ceramics to the materials which are under development stages such as biomaterials, food printing materials, smart materials, glass, resin and wood are discussed in detail with their respective 3D printing methods. The scope of 3D printing in the suggested areas are concluded.

The transparent relaxor ferroelectric ceramics of the system lanthanum modified lead magnesium niobate (PLMN-13PT) have been investigated for a variety of electro-optic, properties; good electro-optic switching times and modest half-wave voltages. In this work, the dependence of microstructural, structural, dielectrical, optical, and electro-optical properties in function of Rare Earth (RE = Tm3+, Nd3+, Yb3+, Er3+ and Ho3+) has been reported. PLMN-13PT:RE with excellent properties were obtained, highlighting the electrical, optical, and electrooptical properties, suitable for the fabrication of multifunctional devices. The most prominent or important feature is the largest quadratic Electro-optic coefficient achieved ((9.37 ± 0.39) × 10−16 m2/V2) corresponding to PLMN-13PT:Ho transparent ceramics. This result in addition to the electrical and photoluminescence properties becomes a promising alternative to building multifunctional devices.

Through quantitative statistics and morphological characterization of ceramic fragments for ceramic composite bulletproof insert plates (CCBIPs), distribution characteristics of ceramic fragments within a specific size range were analyzed for different Armor Piercing Incendiary (API) and shot times. To quantitatively evaluate the effect of energy absorption for ceramic plates, a model of energy absorption during penetration for CCBIPs was established based on statistics of the size distribution of ceramic fragments (SDCF). Variation in the SDCF and its influence on energy absorption for CCBIPs were investigated. The results indicate that the distribution feature of ceramic fragments in the range of 0.25–2.25 mm is Gaussian distribution. Compared with Type 56 of API (56-API), ceramic fragments formed by 53-API with higher kinetic energy possess more quantity and more concentrated distribution, whose average equivalence size decreases by 6.5%, corresponding to increasing by 83.9% of estimated energy absorption. Besides, the ability of CCBIPs to resist the third shot is significantly weakened, whose estimated energy absorption decreases by 58.8% compared with the first shot. More concentrated distribution and fewer fragments are formed after the third shot, the average equivalence size of ceramic fragments increases by 6.9%, which may attribute to the micro-cracks induced by the previous two shots.

The aim of this study is to provide a review on silanized composite performance when exposed in a complex wet aqueous environment and the role of titanium coupling agent as a more stable and reinforcement material in the construction of dental composites. Silanes are considered as the most dominant materials used for surface modification of the filler added to the polymer material in dental applications. Due to the presence of silica in the silane structure, so, the silane coupling agent were considered to be more effective in modifying materials which are consisting of silica because of the similarity in their ordered structure. Silanes are relatively characterized by dehydration inside the oral aqueous environment. On the other hand, titanate coupling agents are effective in serving at a wet environment, because its ability to react with the positive proton available on the surface of the filler (H+). TCAs are superior in performance in comparison to silane by creating a strong internal bonding between the filler and polymer matrix, and having a significant effect on the dispersion and resolving of particles agglomeration and good hydrolytic stability inside the mouth. This paper presents a comparative study between the effects of silane coupling agents against the TCAs performance in oral environment.

Nanoindentation derived mechanical properties and strain rate sensitivity assessment of a set of stir cast metallic reinforced Aluminium-based composites, with an antecedence of anomalous stress oscillations and strain rate insensitivity during hot compression, was investigated in this study. For the evaluation, Al6063 based composites reinforced with 6 wt% CuZnAl, steel, nickel, and SiC particles were subjected to nanoindentation, and their strain rate sensitivity was assessed using strain rate jump test. The results show that the AMCs reinforced with the metallic particles, presented better mechanical properties than those reinforced with SiC. The CuZnAl reinforced AMC had the best hardness (1.25 ± 0.25 GPa) and elastic modulus (∼83GPa), which is opined to be on account of thermoelastic contributions to the basic strengthening mechanisms. The large scatter observed in the mechanical response of the AMCs is largely due to the inhomogeneous particle distribution. The higher indentation resistance with an increase in strain rate, coupled with the absence of displacement bursts, indicated that the composites largely exhibit positive strain rate sensitivity.

The fast and high response detection of neurotoxic H2S is of great importance for the environment. In this paper, directly electrospinning technology on the ceramic tube is developed to improve the response of H2S detector based on superlong SnO2 fibers. The submillimeter continuous fibers are deposited directly on ceramic tubes by in-situ electrospinning method and can keep morphology of fibers during calcination. By employing this technology, CuO-doped SnO2 fiber H2S detectors are fabricated, and 10% atom CuO-doped SnO2 H2S detector shows the highest response of 40 toward 1 ​ppm ​H2S at 150 ​°C while the response is only 3.6 for the H2S detector prepared in traditional route. In addition, the in-situ electrospinning H2S detectors show faster response and recovery compared to the H2S detectors fabricated by the conventional way. The high and fast response of H2S detectors based on in-situ electrospinning can be ascribed to the continuous fiber structure and CuO modification. The present in-situ electrospinning technology may provide a new strategy for the development of other gas-detectors and bio-detectors with fast and high response.

Statement of problem Whether procedures performed before the cementation of computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD-CAM) glass-ceramic restorations, including milling, fitting adjustment, and hydrofluoric acid etching introduce defects on the ceramic surface that affect the mechanical and surface properties is unclear. Purpose A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to assess the effect of milling, fitting adjustments, and hydrofluoric acid etching (HF) on the flexural strength and roughness (Ra) of CAD-CAM glass-ceramics. Material and methods Literature searches were performed up to June 2020 in the PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Scopus databases, with no publication year or language limits. The focused question was “Do milling, fitting adjustments, and hydrofluoric acid etching affect the flexural strength and roughness of CAD-CAM glass-ceramics?” For the meta-analysis, flexural strength and Ra data on milling, fitting adjustment, and HF etching versus control (polishing) were analyzed globally. A subgroup analysis assessed the effect of etching parameters (HF concentration and time) on the flexural strength and roughness of CAD-CAM glass-ceramics with different microstructures. Comparisons were performed with random-effect models at 5% significance. Results Fourteen studies from 2764 potentially relevant records were included in the qualitative syntheses, and 12 in the meta-analysis. Milling and fitting adjustments increased roughness and reduced the flexural strength of CAD-CAM glass-ceramics. The effect of HF etching was dependent on the glass-ceramic microstructure, HF concentration, and etching time. For feldspathic- and leucite-reinforced ceramics, HF 5% applied for between 30 and 120 seconds increased roughness without affecting flexural strength. For lithium disilicate glass-ceramics, HF concentrations greater than 4.9% used for 20 seconds or more reduced the strength without affecting the surface roughness. Conclusions The flexural strength of CAD-CAM glass-ceramic is reduced by grinding procedures such as milling and fitting adjustment. Ceramic microstructure, HF concentration, and etching time determined the effect of hydrofluoric acid etching on the flexural strength and surface roughness of glass-ceramic materials.

Using a newly developed two-step hydrothermal process, flowerlike Ce0.5Zr0.5O2 with an oxygen storage capacity (OSC) of 536 μmol O2 g−1, almost twice as high as that of pure flowerlike CeO2 (284 μmol O2 g−1), can be synthesized. The synthesized ceria-based oxide supports loaded with Ni are dispersed in a ceramic fiber network to form paper-structured catalysts (PSCs). Among the prepared PSCs, the PSC with the flowerlike Ce0.5Zr0.5O2 exhibits the highest catalytic performance for dry reforming of methane (DRM) at 750 °C with the initial methane conversion of 88.4%, degradation rate of 0.1% h−1 and amount of deposited carbon of 0.04 g per gram catalyst, whereas for the Ce0.5Zr0.5O2 synthesized by the one-step hydrothermal process, the values are 83.7%, 0.62% h−1 and 0.07 g per gram catalyst, respectively. This is attributed to the Ni anti-sintering on the petals of the flowerlike structure and the coking tolerance resulting from the high OSC.

In this study, we have investigated the structural, electrical transport and UV–Visible properties of polycrystalline La0.7Ca0.3−xKxMnO3 (x = 0.0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.20) ceramic samples prepared by conventional solid-state reaction. The structure characterized by X-ray diffraction shows that the samples possess orthorhombic perovskite structure belonging to Pnma space group with some impurity for higher doping level (x = 0.10, 0.20) and cell volume is enlarged with Ca2+ substitution by K1+. The surface morphology was investigated by field emission scanning electron microscope, which indicates that the samples with better crystallization having higher density. The electrical transport properties were measured by the standard four-probe method, which demonstrates that the resistivity decreases non-monotonically and the metal–insulator transition temperature (TP) shifts to higher temperature with increasing K1+ content, the electrical transport behavior for metal and insulator region was explained using Zener double exchange model and small polaron hopping model respectively. Furthermore, the progressive substitution of Ca2+ by K1+ broadens the metal–insulator transition and reduces the temperature coefficient of resistivity. Room temperature UV–Vis studies show that the optical band gap changes with the partial replacement of Ca2+ with K1+. The investigations clearly show the effect of impurity present on structural, electrical transport and UV–visible response of the prepared ceramic samples.

Current study renders its focus on the investigation of functionally graded Yttria Stabilized Zirconia (YSZ) and alumina (Al2O3) thermal barrier coatings (TBC) deposited on EN steel substrates used in gun barrel through atmospheric plasma spray (APS) process. A bond coat and the top coats was made with two distinct compositions using YSZ-Al2O3 in 75:25 and 50:50 weight ratio through APS process with two carrier gas concentrations of 3 and 4 standard cubic feet per hour (scfh). Coatings were characterized with thermal testing, X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope examination (FESEM). Surface roughness test, wear and scratch test of the uncoated and coated steel specimens was also measured. YSZ-Al2O3 coated EN36C steel possessed greater insulation performance under a carrier gas flow rate of 3 scfh compared to all other specimens. EN36C steel coated with YSZ-Al2O3 in the ratio of 75:25 has better wear and scratch resistance indicating lesser deformation compared to other materials.

Oxygen-assisted high temperature solid-state reaction approach was employed for the fabrication of Pr activated Ba(Mg0.28Zr0.16Ta0.56)O3 transparent ceramic phosphor. Retiveld refinement of X-ray diffraction pattern was carried out to reveal the lattice parameters and crystal structural information. Under the blue-light excitation of λex=473 nm, the phosphor exhibits a sharp intense red emission centered at 645 nm, accompanied by serval other weak peaks. PL evolution with temperature shows a significant luminescence quenching behavior, and the underlying multi-phonon interaction with optical center is revealed by proposing an unprecedent theoretical calculation work. Such a phonon effect is further confirmed from the red-shift of peak position with temperature, and the involved phonon energy of 50.7 meV is determined from Raman scattering measurement. More interestingly, the fitted results of transient-state PL spectra show a fluctuation of luminescence lifetime at various temperatures, further indicating a significant effect of phonon vibration in the system.

ErxTi0.1Zr0.9–xO2–1.5x (x = 0.04, 0.05, 0.06, 0.07, 0.08) ceramics were synthesized by a solid-state reaction method. The influence of the Er3+ addition on the phase composition, Vickers hardness, fracture toughness, and thermal conductivity of this ceramic material was investigated. The X-ray diffraction results reveal that the c-ZrO2 content increases from 1.85 vol% to 33.89 vol%, and the percentage of t-ZrO2 decreases from 98.15 vol% to 66.11 vol% with the increase in Er3+ from 4 mol% to 8 mol%. Moreover, the addition of Er3+ is beneficial for the volume expansion of the unit cell. At the same time, the incorporation of Er3+ weakens the coordination of oxygen ions around the metal cations, resulting in a corresponding decrease in the tetragonality of the t-ZrO2. The Vickers hardness and fracture toughness of the ErxTi0.1Zr0.9–xO2–1.5x ceramics show increasing and decreasing trends, respectively. The thermal conductivity has a significant decline due to point defects caused by the Er3+ doping. The 8ETZ ceramic exhibits the highest Vickers hardness (12.7 GPa), lowest fracture toughness (7.6 MPa/m1/2), and lowest average thermal conductivity (1.85 W/(m·K)) in the range of 200 to 1000 °C. All of the above properties are higher than those of the Y2O3-stabilized ZrO2 ceramic.

Multi-functionalization is the future development direction for protective coatings on metal surface, but has not yet been explored a lot. The effective integration of multiple functions into one material remains a huge challenge. Herein, a superhydrophobic multilayer coating integrated with multidimensional organic-inorganic components is designed on magnesium alloy via one-step plasma-induced thermal field assisted crosslinking deposition (PTCD) processing followed by after-thermal modification. Hard porous MgO ceramic layer and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) nano-particles work as the bottom layer skeleton and filler components separately, forming an organic-inorganic multilayer structure, in which organic nano-particles can be crosslinked and cured to form a compact polymer-like outer layer with hierarchical surface textures. Remarkably, the chemical robustness after prolonged exposure to aqua regia, strong base and simulated seawater solution profits from polymer-like nanocomposite layer uniformly and compactly across the film bulk. Moreover, the self-similar multilayer structure coating endows it attractive functions of strong mechanical robustness (>100th cyclic rotary abrasion), stable and ultra-low friction coefficient (about 0.084), high-temperature endurance, and robust self-cleaning. The organic-inorganic multilayer coating also exhibits high insulating property with breakdown voltage of 1351.8 ± 42.4 V, dielectric strength of 21.4 ± 0.7 V/µm and resistivity of 3.2 × 1010 Ω·cm. The excellent multifunction benefits from ceramic bottom skeleton, the assembly and deposition of multidimensional nano-particles, and the synergistic effect of organic inorganic components. This study paves the way for designing next generation protective coating on magnesium alloy with great potential for multifunctional applications.

In this paper, the manufacturing of macro-porous tubular ceramic supports for membranes is described. The novel supports are fabricated from natural diatomite and alumina raw materials using the extrusion method. The structure was analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and mercury porosimetry techniques; the presence of possible defects was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The permeability has been measured from water flux in standard experiments. Experimental results show that the open porosity, the average pore size (APS), the pore size distribution, the strength, and the permeability of sintered supports, have been found to depend, mainly on the concentration of alumina (Al2O3) additive. Supports prepared with the addition of 10 wt.% of alumina and sintered at 1200 °C, can be considered as the most optimized; they have a porosity ratio of about 46%, an APS is around 7.7 μm, a flexural strength value of about 28 MPa, and water permeability of around 15 m3 h−1 m−2 bar−1. Such materials could be of great interest in the supports fabrication for membrane application, for instance, water filtration.

Current trends in the ceramic industry see an increasing interest on porcelain stoneware, by which is possible to produce large tiles and slabs. These products are manufactured by spray-dried powders, which have excellent technological properties but require high energy and water consumption. Dry-processed granulates allow to reduce such a consumption, but suffer from a different technological behavior. A solution to improve the environmental sustainability of ceramic tile-making is mixing powders prepared by the wet and the dry routes. The technological features of industrially manufactured mixed powders was investigated (rheological properties, compaction response and firing behavior) in order to point out advantages and possible pitfalls. Dry-processed and spray-dried granulates exhibit different distributions of size, shape and moisture that reflect on distinct rheological and compaction behaviors. Mixed powders show a more or less accentuated deviation from linearity between the end terms. This fact makes possible to add up to ∼50% dry granulates by keeping the technological properties close to current industrial bodies. Sparings of water, energy and CO2 emission for the milling and granulation stages are estimated for a mix 50% spray-dried and 50% dry-processed powders.

Studies investigating the mechanical stability of lithium disilicate-strengthened aluminosilicate glass-ceramic that do not require sintering after milling compared with other computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD-CAM) materials are lacking.The purpose of this in vitro study was to investigate the flexural strength of CAD-CAM zirconia, lithium disilicate, and lithium disilicate-strengthened aluminosilicate glass-ceramics with and without fatigue conditions.Specimens (N=90, n=15) (12×4×3 mm) from the following CAD-CAM materials were prepared and polished: lithium disilicate glass-ceramic (IPS e.max CAD); lithium disilicate-strengthened aluminosilicate glass-ceramic (N!ce); and zirconium dioxide ceramic (IPS e.max ZirCAD). All specimens were divided into 2 subgroups: immediate testing without aging and simulation of aging by using a mastication simulator for 1 200 000 cycles (5 °C-55 °C). Thereafter, flexural strength testing was performed by using a universal testing machine (1 mm/min) on nonaged and aged specimens. The data were evaluated by using nonparametric 2-way ANOVA and Wilcoxon rank post hoc tests (α=.05).Both the material type and aging significantly affected the results (P.001). The interaction was not significant (P.05). Under nonaged conditions, zirconium dioxide ceramic (1136 ±162 MPa) showed significantly higher mean ±standard deviation flexural strength (P.001) than lithium disilicate (304 ±34 MPa) and lithium disilicate-strengthened aluminosilicate glass-ceramic (202 ±17 MPa). The glass-ceramic groups were also significantly different from each other (P.001). After aging, zirconium dioxide (1087.9 ±185.3 MPa) also presented significantly higher mean ±standard deviation flexural strength (P.001) than lithium disilicate (259 ±62 MPa) and lithium disilicate-strengthened aluminosilicate glass-ceramic (172 ±11 MPa) (P.001). Aging significantly decreased the flexural strength of lithium disilicate (14.6%) (P=.03) and lithium disilicate-strengthened aluminosilicate glass-ceramic (14.5%) (P=.01) but had minimal effect on the zirconium dioxide ceramic (4.3%) (P=.29).Among the tested CAD-CAM materials, the mechanical performance of lithium disilicate-strengthened aluminosilicate glass-ceramic was comparable with that of lithium disilicate and considerably lower than that of zirconia. Aging decreased the flexural strength of both lithium disilicate and lithium disilicate-strengthened aluminosilicate glass-ceramic.

The aim of this research was to evaluate the production of glass ceramics from novel combinations of fly ash, glass cullet, blast furnace slag and copper slag solid wastes. The CaO/SiO2 molar ratios of the mixtures were 0.17–0.39. Glass ceramics were produced by thermal treatment of frits obtained by quenching in water. The results show that samples with a high Fe2O3 content (>4 wt%) are not adequate for glass-ceramic formation, as a result of the effect of ferric iron, Fe3+, which increases the network connectivity, on the stability of the glass. The mechanical properties of the ceramic materials were as follows: elastic modulus of 97.8–106 GPa, Vickers microhardness of 612–701 MPa, fracture toughness of 0.45–0.84 MPa m1/2, and friction coefficient of 0.57–1.0. For the glass ceramics, the mass loss did not exceed 1% in NaOH and 15% in HNO3 as a result of the crystalline phases formed. The ceramic materials developed in this research could be considered for potential applications in the production of glazes for residential or industrial tiles and coatings, among others.

Calcium phosphate bio-ceramics are osteo-conductive, but it remains a challenge to promote the induction of bone augmentation and capillary formation. The surface micro/nano-topography of materials can be recognized by cells and then the cell fate are mediated. Traditional regulation methods of carving surface structures on bio-ceramics employ mineral reagents and organic additives, which might introduce impurity phases and affect the biological results. In a previous study, a facile and novel method was utilized with ultrapure water as the unique reagent for hydrothermal treatment, and a uniform hydroxyapatite (HAp) surface layer was constructed on composite ceramics (β-TCP/CaSiO3) in situ. Further combined with 3D printing technology, biomimetic hierarchical structure scaffolds were fabricated with interconnected porous composite ceramic scaffolds as the architecture and micro/nano-rod hybrid HAp as the surface layer. The obtained HAp surface layer favoured cell adhesion, alleviated the cytotoxicity of precursor scaffolds, and upregulated the cellular differentiation of mBMSCs and gene expression of HUVECs in vitro. In vivo studies showed that capillary formation, bone augmentation and new bone matrix formation were upregulated after the HAp surface layer was obtained, and the results confirmed that the fabricated biomimetic hierarchical structure scaffold could be an effective candidate for bone regeneration., Graphical abstract The brief illustration of the study. The architecture of the scaffolds was fabricated from the 3D printing, micro/nano-rod hybrid HAp surface were obtained via hydrothermal treatment with a dissolution-precipitation stage. Biomimetic hierarchical structure scaffolds were fabricated with interconnected porous composite ceramics scaffolds as the architecture and micro/nano-rod hybrid HAp as the surface. Angiogenesis and osteogenesis of the biomimetic hierarchical structure scaffolds were studied in vitro (hUVECs and mBMSCs) and in vivo (operated in SD rat subcutaneous implant in backs and the extramembranous implant near the calvaria.).Image 1, Highlight • Simple and practical process to construct surface structure layer in situ with little impurities. • Combined with the 3D printing technology to fabricate architecture of the pre-treated matrix. • Study the angiogenesis and osteogenesis (for mesenchymal stem cells) separately. • Improving tissue growth in vivo: capillary formation, bone-augmentation and new bone matrix formation.

To upgrade the electric properties of lead-free piezoceramics, (1–x)(Ba0.98Ca0.02Ti0.94Sn0.04Zr0.02)O3-xY2O3 (abbreviated as (1–x)BCTSZ-xY, x = 0 mol%, 0.02 mol%, 0.04 mol%, 0.06 mol%, 0.08 mol% and 0.1 mol%) ceramics were successfully synthesized by traditional solid-state sintering method. The phase structure and microstructure of ceramics were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and piezoresponse force microscopyeramics (PFM). The electric properties of ceramics were researched through piezoelectric, dielectric and ferroelectric test instruments. The results show that all samples have pure perovskite structure and favorable electric properties. The optimal electric properties which especially include superior ferroelectric properties are gained when Y2O3 content is 0.06 mol% (d33 = 419 pC/N, kp = 52%, Tc = 89.5 °C, er = 26900, tanδ = 2.86%, Pr = 14.41 μC/cm2, Ec = 1.8 kV/cm). Moreover, the temperature-dependent dielectricity of samples shows apparent relaxor behavior under different frequencies. The Curie–Weiss law further proves that all samples are typical relaxor ferroelectrics, and the relaxor degree of samples decreases with increase of Y2O3 content. In conclusion, Y2O3 plays a significant role in enhancing electric properties of BCTSZ ceramics.

High velocity ballistic impact deformation behaviour of Titanium/GFRP Fiber Metal Laminates (FML) has been explored. Both single and multiple projectiles impact conditions were considered. Ti/GFRP FML targets were fabricated with addition of 5% and 10% weight percentage of boron carbide (B4C) particles. Mechanical properties of Ti/GFRP FML targets were determined as per ASTM standards. High velocity ballistic experiments were conducted using Armour Piercing Projectile (APP) of diameter 7.62 mm and velocity ranging between 350 and 450 m/s. Depth of penetration of the projectile into the target was measured. The deformation behaviour of Ti/GFRP targets with and without the presence of ceramic powder (B4C) was investigated. “Ductile hole growth” failure mode was observed for pure GFRP target when subjected to single projectile impact whereas “plugging” failure mode was noted for Ti/GFRP targets. The presence of B4C (5% by weight) particles has significantly improved the ballistic resistance of the Ti/GFRP FML target by offering frictional resistance to the projectile penetration. Further addition (10% by weight) of B4C has reduced the ballistic performance due to agglomeration. None of the targets showed ‘brittle cracking’ or ‘fragmentation’ failures. When compared to the published results of Aluminium (Al 1100/GFRP and Al 6061/GFRP) FMLs, Ti/GFRP FML showed lesser DoP which increases its potential application to aerospace industry.

A silicon carbide (SiC) protective coating has been developed for dental ceramics, but whether the coated ceramics can match the classical VITA shades is unclear.The purpose of this observational in vitro study was to evaluate the color adaptability of SiC-coated dental ceramics by testing the hypotheses that SiC-coated disks can be fabricated to match standard tooth shades and have a perceptible color match rate of at least 50% for disks with a color difference (ΔE)2.0. The effects of ΔE, shade hue, shade value, observer sex, years of experience, profession, and shade guide orientation on color perception were studied.SiC-coated disks were fabricated to color match (ΔEA significant difference in color match rate was found between disks with ΔE2.0 (63.9%) and ΔE≥2.0 (41.7%) (P.001). Arranging shade by value (72.2%) instead of hue (67.2%) produced better color matching (P.001). Sex (P=.430), profession (P=.708), and years of experience (P=.902) had no significant influence on color matching.SiC-coated disks were successfully fabricated to match all VITA classical shades, and clinical visual color matching results confirmed that ΔE was a useful metric in optimizing color matching for the SiC-coated dental ceramics.

Sensors are crucial in the understanding of machines working under high temperatures and high-pressure conditions. Current devices utilize polymeric materials as electrical insulators which pose a challenge in the device’s lifespan. Ceramics, on the other hand, is robust and able to withstand high temperature and pressure. For such applications, a co-fired ceramic device which can provide both electrical conductivity and insulation is beneficial and acts as a superior candidate for sensor devices. In this paper, we propose a novel fabrication technique of complex multi-ceramics structures via 3D printing. This fabrication methodology increases both the geometrical complexity and the device’s shape precision. Structural ceramics (alumina) was employed as the electrical insulator whilst providing mechanical rigidity while a functional ceramic (alumina-doped zinc oxide) was employed as the electrically conductive material. The addition of sintering additives, tailoring the printing pastes’ solid loadings and heat treatment profile resolves multi-materials printing challenges such as shrinkage disparity and densification matching. Through high-temperature co-firing of ceramics (HTCC) technology, dense high quality functional multi-ceramics structures are achieved. The proposed fabrication methodology paves the way for multi-ceramics sensors to be utilized in high temperature and pressure systems in the near future.

Materials have been developed to reduce the chipping of ceramic veneer and improve the esthetics of anterior ceramic veneered restorations. However, studies of the effects of material and substructure design on fracture resistance are sparse.The purpose of this in vitro study was to investigate the fracture resistance of metal-ceramic (MC), zirconia-feldspathic porcelain (ZC), and zirconia-lithium disilicate (ZL) anterior restorations and evaluate the effect of material and substructure design.After preparing and scanning artificial maxillary central incisor teeth, titanium abutments and restoration specimens (n=90) were fabricated. MC, ZC, and ZL materials were prepared with substructure designs A (two-third coverage of the palatal surface) and B (one-third coverage of the palatal surface). After cementation, the specimens were thermocycled (10 000 cycles, 5 and 55 °C). Fracture load measurements, failure mode analysis, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), line scan analysis, fractography, finite element analysis (FEA), and Weibull analysis were performed. Two-way ANOVA was used to identify the effects of material and substructure design on fracture load. One-way ANOVA was used to identify significant differences of fracture load (α=.05).MC and ZL showed significantly higher fracture load than ZC (P.05). MC_A showed a significantly higher fracture load than MC_B (P.05). ZC_A exhibited the lowest Weibull modulus. FEA revealed that the maximum principal stress occurred near the loading area of the veneer. ZL displayed the lowest maximum principal stress among all the materials.ZL and MC_A exhibited more favorable fracture resistance. The substructure design of MC, with increased metal coverage of the palatal surface, improved fracture resistance significantly.

Although dielectric ceramic capacitors possess attractive properties for high-power energy storage, their pronounced electrostriction effect and high brittleness are conducive to easy initiation and propagation of cracks that significantly deteriorate electrical reliability and lifetime of capacitors in practical applications. Herein, a new strategy for designing relaxor ferroelectric ceramics with K0.5Na0.5NbO3-core/SiO2-shell structured grains was proposed to simultaneously reduce the electric-field-induced strain and enhance the mechanical strength of the ceramics.The simulatation and experiment declared that the bending strength and compression strength of the core-shell structured ceramic were shown to increase by more than 50% over those of the uncoated sample. Meanwhile, the electric-field-induced strain was reduced by almost half after adding the SiO2 coating. The suppressed electrical deformation and enhanced mechanical strength could alleviate the probability of generation of cracks and prevent their propagation, thus remarkably improving breakdown strength and fatigue endurance of the ceramics. As a result, an ultra-high breakdown strength of 425 kV cm−1 and excellent recoverable energy storage density (Wrec ∼ 4.64 J cm-3) were achieved in the core-shell structured sample. More importantly, the unique structure could enhance the cycling stability of the ceramic (Wrec variation

Introduction Nano-SiC has attracted great attention as ceramic reinforcement in metal matrix composites, but the weak interface bonding between them remains a bottleneck for efficient strengthening. Objective In this study, pre-oxidation treatments and selective laser melting (SLM) were employed to prepare Zn/nano-SiC biocomposites with strengthened interface bonding via in situ reaction. Methods Nano-SiC and Zn powders were pre-oxidized respectively, and then used to prepare Zn/nano-SiC biocomposites via SLM. The powder microstructure, and the interface characteristics and mechanical properties of the biocomposites were investigated. The degradation properties and cell response were analyzed to evaluate their feasibility for orthopedic applications. Results The results indicated that the pre-oxidation treatments generated a uniform oxide layer on the surface of both nano-SiC and Zn particles and the thickness of the oxide layer increased with pre-oxidation temperature. During the SLM process, the oxide layers not only improved the metal-ceramic wettability by reducing interface energy, but also induced in situ reaction to form chemical bonding between the Zn matrix and nano-SiC, thereby improving the interface bonding. Consequently, the Zn biocomposite reinforced by nano-SiC with a pre-oxidation temperature of 1000 °C (ZS1000 biocomposite) exhibited more transgranular fracture and significantly enhanced compressive yield strength of 171.5 MPa, which was 31.6% higher than that of the Zn biocomposite reinforced by nano-SiC without pre-oxidation. Moreover, the ZS1000 biocomposite presented slightly accelerated degradation which might be ascribed to the facilitated electron transfer by the interface product (Zn2SiO4). In addition, the ZS1000 biocomposite also showed appropriate biocompatibility for MG-63 cell adhesion, growth, and proliferation. Conclusion This study shows the potential practical applicability for the preparation of Zn-based biocomposites with strong interface bonding and mechanical properties for orthopedic applications.

The exploration towards cost-effective filler metal for ceramics joining has always been the key issues for ceramics joining. Herein, we reveal that the Al metal prefers to spread on the ZrO2 based ceramic under the air heating condition, due to the geometric limit effects by in-situ formed dense Al2O3 surface. Inspired by this, the joining of ZrO2 based ceramics was realized in air with Al metal as filler, through the diffusion of Al towards ceramic side. The Al element can induce obvious interfacial bonding effect on Al2O3 layer and ZrO2 ceramic, where the hybridization among the Al-p, Zr-d and O-p orbitals plays a key role. The in-situ formed Al2O3 layer on Al filler surface is vital for forming the fine interface (shear strength of ∼36 MPa), which results in the relief of lattice mismatch and peak stress at ceramic-filler metal transition interface.

The grain growth kinetics and densification mechanism of (TiZrHfVNbTa)C high-entropy carbide ceramic are investigated in this work. A single phase carbide with a rock-salt structure is formed until 2300 °C, below which an apparent aggregation of V, Zr and Hf exists. It is associated with the slow diffusion rate of V element as well as the relatively poor solubility of VC in HfC (as well as ZrC). The grain growth mechanism gradually changes from surface diffusion to volume diffusion and then grain boundary diffusion with increasing sintering temperature. This is attributed to the variation of activation energy of grain growth. The densification mechanism is principally dominated by the mass transport through lattice diffusion with the activation energy of 839 ± 53 kJ/mol. Through the design of two-step sintering, it is verified that the solid solution formation can effectively promote the densification process.

Significantly enhanced varistor properties via tailoring interface states were obtained in Ca1–2x/3YxCu3Ti4O12-SrCu3Ti4O12 composite ceramics. The breakdown field was improved to 35.8 kV•cm−1 and the nonlinear coefficient in 0.1–1 mA cm−2 was enhanced to 14.6 for Ca0.67Y0.5Cu3Ti4O12-SrCu3Ti4O12. Noticeably, the withstand voltage of single grain boundary reached up to 24 V while the reported ones were constant to about 3 V. Greatly improved properties were attributed to the formation of superior grain boundary rather than the reduced grain size. Surprisingly, with distinct discrepancy of nonlinear performance in the composites, the resistance and activation energy of grain boundary exhibited little differences. Based on the double Schottky barrier at grain boundary and the field-assisted thermal emission model, it was found that the excellent electrical nonlinearity arose from the formation of deeper and broader interface states at grain boundary. In this case, interface states were not easily entirely filled and the barrier could maintain its height under applied voltage. This work provides a novel routine for enhancing the varistor properties of CaCu3Ti4O12 based ceramics by manipulating interface states at grain boundary.

Nowadays, SiO2 based material is one of the widest used materials in optical, microelectromechanical system, aerospace and some other industries. In practical application, SiO2 based materials are required to be joined with themselves or other heterogeneous materials to assemble products with various functions. And the joining quality directly affects the mechanical performances and functional properties of assembled products. Though many researchers studied different joining technologies, explored the microstructure of joining interface and tested after-joining properties, a review that summarizes the recent cutting-edge researches and development tendency of joining technologies for SiO2 based ceramics is still absent. Therefore, according to different applications and requirements, this review summarizes the widely used joining technologies and discusses corresponding joining mechanisms, current research progress and suitable applications. Due to the wide applications in specific industry, laser welding, anodic bonding and wafer bonding are discussed in detail. Further, brazing, the widest used method in SiO2 joining, has been elaborated deeply in its wetting mechanism, residual stress control, interfacial microstructure and mechanical performance aspects. In the end, this review proposed the future development trends of SiO2 ceramics joining, aiming at offering a full-view of potential improvements in SiO2 ceramic joining technologies.

Dual-phase rare-earth-zirconate high-entropy ceramics have gained significant research interest recently. However, the large composition complexity and serious lattice distortion from multi-components doping increase the uncertainty of their crystal structures. In this work, a series of dual-phase rare-earth-zirconate medium- and high-entropy ceramics are successfully fabricated. Results of this study indicate that these dual-phase ceramics are composed of pyrochlore and fluorite structures. Simultaneously, a principal element design criterion of the pyrochlore-fluorite dual-phase medium- and high-entropy ceramics is proposed. The phase structures of pyrochlore-fluorite dual-phase samples are co-determined by the average ionic radius ratio and the size disorder parameter. When the average ionic radius ratio is in the range of 1.4 to 1.5 and the size disorder parameter is larger than 5%, it is more inclined to form pyrochlore-fluorite dual-phase structure. This work has an important guiding significance to the composition design of pyrochlore-fluorite dual-phase medium- and high-entropy ceramics.

Antiferroelectric (AFE) materials have superior energy storage properties in high power multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs). To adapt to the sintering temperature of inner metal electrodes with less palladium content, in this work, Al2O3 was added to Pb0.95La0.02Sr0.02(Zr0.50Sn0.40Ti0.10)O3 (PLSZST) AFE ceramics, in an attempt to reduce the sintering temperature. Results of this study demonstrate that the optimal composition of PLSZST-0.8 wt% Al2O3 sintered at a lower temperature 1040 ℃, has a high recoverable energy density (Wre, 3.23 J/cm3) and a high efficiency (η, 90 %) at room temperature. It is also high in pulse discharge energy density (Wdis, 2.45 J/cm3), current density (1369 A/cm2), and has an extremely short period of discharge (less than 500 ns). In addition, both Wre and η demonstrate a good stability in temperature within a wide range of 30 ℃-100 ℃. In sum, this novel AFE composition has great potentials for energy storage applications such as high energy density MLCCs.

The so-called BGMS10, a bioactive glass containing 10 mol.% SrO and 10 mol.% MgO, displays a low inclination to crystallize, as confirmed by its high activation energy (538.9 kJ/mol). Such peculiar aspect and the beneficial use of SPS allow for the obtainment of 99.7 % dense and fully amorphous products at 750 °C. The incipient crystallization in the glass is observed when temperature is increased to 850 °C, while 95 wt. % crystallized ceramics are produced at 950 °C. Main crystalline phases are α- and β-CaSiO3, with grain size of 89 and 97 nm, respectively. Glass crystallization is accompanied by Young’s modulus increase from 90.92 to 98.38 GPa. On the other hand, partially crystallized samples (850 °C) exhibit higher Vickers hardness (718.8) compared to fully crystallized ones (619.8), which show lower density (98.6%). In-vitro tests in SBF indicate that the silica-gel film preceding apatite nucleation is mostly formed on the amorphous substrate region.

The thermodynamic stability limits of Sn(II) under ambient conditions imposes constraints on the densification of divalent tin based oxides. In the case of tin monoxide (SnO), a low temperature (≤ 300 °C) electric field assisted processing route (Cool-SPS) affords densification up to 90% of theoretical density. This is demonstrated for both conventional SnO and reactive tin(II) oxyhydroxide [Sn6O4(OH)4] precursor powders. The choice of starting precursor impacts both the optimized processing parameters and the resulting ceramic microstructure. Characterization of phase content and stability has been performed on both the precursor powders and resulting ceramics. Preliminary electrochemical property measurements are presented and their connection to observed microstructure and choice of initial precursor is discussed.

This study shows that the mechanical strength of the composite of Fe matrix and titanium carbide (TiC) ceramic particles is significantly enhanced with addition of molybdenum (Mo) atoms. TiC reinforced Fe (Fe-0.2C-7Mn) composites with and without Mo were fabricated by a liquid pressing infiltration (LPI) process and the effect of Mo on interfacial properties of TiC–Fe composite was investigated using atomic probe tomography (APT) analysis, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, first-principle density functional theory (DFT), and thermodynamic calculations. First, DFT calculations showed that total energies of the Mo-doped TiC–Fe superlattices strongly depend on the position of Mo defects, and are minimized when the Mo atom is located at the TiC/Fe interface, supporting the probable formation of MoC-like interphase at the TiC/Fe interface region. Then, APT analysis confirmed the DFT predictions by finding that about 6.5 wt.% Mo is incorporated in the TiC–Fe(Mo) composite and that sub-micrometer thick (Ti,Mo)C interphase is indeed formed near the interface. The MD simulations show that Mo atoms migrate to the Mo-free TiC–Fe interface at elevated temperatures and the mechanical strength of the interface is considerably enhanced, which is in good agreement with experimental observations.

A novel high-entropy material, (Y0.2Gd0.2Er0.2Yb0.2Lu0.2)2Zr2O7 was successfully synthesized by the solid state reaction method and spark plasma sintering, and investigated as a promising thermal barrier coating material. Rare-earth elements were distributed homogeneously in the pyrochlore structure. It was found that the prepared high-entropy ceramic maintains pyrochlore structure at the temperature up to 1600 °C, and it possesses a similar thermal expansion coefficient (10.2 × 10−6 K−1 at 25-900 °C) to that of YSZ, low thermal conductivity (

Ti2AlN powders were synthesized through molten salt method and re-calcination process using TiH2, Al and TiN powders as raw materials at 1100 ℃. The composition of final composite was directly influenced by the initial Al and TiH2 content in the starting mixture. The purity of the synthesized Ti2AlN powder could reach 97.1 wt% when the Al molar ratio was 1.05. Then high strength Ti2AlN ceramics were successfully prepared in different modes, including two forms of pulse electric current sintering (PECS/SPS) and hot-pressing sintering (HP). A record-high flexural strength of 719 MPa was obtained for the PECS/SPS with an electrical insulating die (PECS/SPS II) sintered sample, based on the synthesized powder in which the initial molar ratio of Al was 1.1. The sintering behaviors in various modes were analyzed, confirming the shrinkage of particles starting at lower temperature in PECS/SPS II. The density, microstructure, Vickers hardness and elastic modulus of sintered ceramics were also investigated. Therefore, the present work provided the new methods about powder preparation and ceramic sintering of Ti2AlN, making it possible to be used as high strength structural ceramics.

Lead-free Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 piezoelectric ceramics were successfully prepared by reactive flash sintering of Bi2O3-NaCO3-TiO2 mixed powders, where phase transformation and densification occurred simultaneously. The influence of electric field strength, current density and holding time at constant current state on the phase transformation and densification were investigated. The current density had a significant influence on the extent of phase transformation and densification. The holding time had no influence on the phase transformation, but had an important effect on crystallinity of sample. The sintered bulks exhibited the maximum polarization Pm of 16.8 μC/cm2, remanent polarization Pr of 9.6 μC/cm2, coercive field Ec of 29 kV/cmm, maximum electric-field-induced strain of 0.053%, and piezoelectric coefficient d33 of 85 pC/N. The reactive flash sintering can prepare the dense and single-phase ceramics from multiphase precursor powders in one step of flash, providing a new way for rapid production of ceramic materials.

This work explores the incorporation of graphene-based two-dimensional nanostructures as moisture barriers to delay hydrothermal ageing of yttria-stabilized zirconia and strengthen its use in biomedical applications. Two sets of highly dense zirconia composites incorporating multilayered graphene with very different lateral dimensions, few layer graphene and exfoliated graphene nanoplatelets, were prepared. The effect of the addition of graphene nanostructures on zirconia ageing was investigated by conducting accelerated hydrothermal degradation experiments in an autoclave. An improved resistance to low-temperature degradation and a high tolerance to damage were achieved in the composites compared to those of monolithic zirconia. The incorporation of 1 vol% multilayered graphene was very effective in restricting the hydrothermal degradation. In particular, the composite incorporating exfoliated graphene nanosheets exhibited outstanding resistance to ageing because of their fine dispersion throughout the matrix, which effectively seemed to restrict grain growth and slow the propagation of the transformation front to the ceramic bulk.

Li7La3Zr2O12-based garnet-type solid electrolytes are promising candidates for use in all-solid-state lithium batteries (ASSLBs). However, their potential in large-scale commercial applications is largely hindered by the time/energy-consuming and lithium-wasting synthetic method which typically needs a long-duration high temperature solid state reaction process. Herein we invent a fast preparation route that involves a short-period thermal reaction (1100 °C for 10 min) in laboratory muffle furnaces following by conventional hot pressing technique to get almost fully dense (Al, Ga, Ta, Nb)-doped garnet-type electrolytes with high phase purity (>99.9 %). The large and compact grains, low porosity and high phase purities of garnet ceramic electrolytes synthesized in this study ensure superior electrochemical performance. Particularly, Ga-doped cubic Li7La3Zr2O12 shows extremely low Ea values (0.17−0.18 eV) and record-high lithium ionic conductivities (>2 × 10−3 S cm-1 at 25 °C).

Al(8+x)/3O4-xNx (x = 0.299–0.575) transparent ceramics were fabricated by presintering and subsequent hot isostatic pressing (HIP) technology. The XRD and SEAD analyses verified that a complete solid solution with a cubic spinel structure was achieved in the entire composition range. The SEM characterization confirmed that the x = 0.299-0.510 samples are highly dense with rare residual pores, which was further demonstrated by HRTEM observations. In combination with phonon modes extracted by far-infrared reflectivity spectra, the intrinsic dielectric properties of AlON ceramics were estimated, which were consistent with the experimental results, revealing that the contribution to dielectric properties is dominated by the absorption of structural phonons. Moreover, as the nitrogen content increased, the measured permittivity (er) of the samples was found to gradually increase from 9.41 to 9.68 at 7 GHz, while the quality factor (Q × f) values fluctuated from 43750 to 76923 GHz. Accordingly, the reported AlON transparent ceramics with exceptional dielectric performances are promising candidates for high-frequency 5 G applications.

Lithium-aluminum-silicate glass-ceramics (LAS) are of pivotal importance in various applications as they combine excellent mechanicala nd functional properties. Due to their use in medical devices and cooking articles, antimicrobial properties are obviously of interest. Herein, we report the solid-state field-assisted (Ag→Li,Na) ion exchange in LAS glass-ceramic containing β-quartz and β-spodumene solid solutions. The ion-exchange is extremely rapid and deep silver penetration (>100 μm) can be achieved within a few minutes (

The dielectric layer plays a key role in regulating electromagnetic wave broadband scattering based on meta-surface technology. Herein, the physical properties of composite powder, prepared by spray drying of CaO-B2O3-SiO2 (CBS) glass-ceramic powder and Al2O3 in different mass ratios, are systematically investigated. Meanwhile, a high enthalpy atmospheric plasma spraying equipment is utilized to prepare CBS/Al2O3 composite coatings, and the morphology, physical properties and dielectric properties of the composite coating are analyzed. The XRD and DSC data of the composite coating reveal that the crystallization behavior of β-CaSiO3 and CaB2O4 gradually disappear with the increase of Al2O3 content. Hence, only CaAl2Si2O8 phase is observed during heat treatment. The experimental results confirm that the dielectric properties of CBS/Al2O3 composite coating conform to the rule of mixture for composite materials. Also, the dielectric properties are affected by porosity and crystallization rate.

3 at.% Er3+, x at.% Ho3+: SrF2 (x = 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.5, 1, 2) transparent ceramics, as the potential material for the 2.7 μm solid-state laser, were fabricated by hot-pressed sintering. XRD, TEM, SEM, and EDS measurements were used to investigate the phase composition, morphology, microstructure, and distribution of the elements of the nanoparticles and transparent ceramics. Results showed that the Er3+ ions and Ho3+ ions do not alter the SrF2 crystal structure, and they are distributed uniformly in the sample. With the increase of the Ho3+ doping concentration, the lattice parameter decreased from 5.799 A to 5.784 A, and the average grain size decreased gradually. The maximum transmittance of as-obtained ceramics is approximately 93 % which is close to the theoretical transmittance of SrF2. Moreover, the absorption spectra, emission spectra, and the lifetime of Er3+ and Ho3+ were investigated. The energy transfer processes between Er3+ and Ho3+ were discussed. After co-doping Ho3+, the lifetime difference between Er3+:4I11/2 and Er3+:4I13/2 levels was shortened from 8.50 ms to 1.12 ms. All the results show that the incorporation of Ho3+ with proper doping concentration is beneficial for achieving 2.7 μm laser output in Er3+: SrF2 transparent ceramics.

A new type of high-temperature-resistant SiZrBOC ceramics was prepared by sol-gel method using polymethyl-hydro siloxane (PMHS), boric acid (B(OH)3), and n-propyl zirconate (Zr(OPr)4) as raw materials. After high-temperature pyrolysis, the SiZrBOC precursor was transformed into a crystalline ceramic material with a yield of 89.5 wt%. Fourier infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were applied to characterize the polymer-ceramic conversion process and thermal behavior of ceramic precursors. According to the results, the addition of boron elements led to the formation of Si-O-B links in the system. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to study the phase composition and microstructure of SiZrBOC ceramics. Finally, the oxidation test at 1200 °C revealed that SiZrBOC ceramics with a boron/zirconium molar ratio of 2.5:1 exhibited the best oxidation resistance at a weight gain of 0.4 wt% only.

Abatract A series of compositionally complex fluorite oxides (CCFOs) were prepared by ball milling the mixture of ZrO2, HfO2, Y2O3, La2O3, and Pr6O11 followed by conventional solid-state sintering. Both XRD and TG-DSC results demonstrated that single-phase (Zr0.2Hf0.2Pr0.2Y0.2La0.2)O2-δ was formed at 1400°C. Elements in bulk ceramic were uniformly distributed without evident accumulation according to SEM-EDS pictures. TEM results revealed that polycrystalline ceramic powder was assignable to cubic Fm-3m fluorite structure. The electrical conductivity (σ) was measured via EIS technology and activation energy (Ea) of CCFOs was calculated in Arrhenius plots. In the temperature range of 300-750°C, CCFOs preserved the same conduction mechanism and (Zr0.1667Hf0.1667Pr0.1667Y0.25La0.25)O2-δ possessed higher σ and lower Ea than other high entropy fluorite oxides which is related to the incorporation of Pr element or the connection of cation-Vo complex.