NANO ALPHA-ALUMINA POWDERS AND DENSE CERAMICS

Three various α-alumina nanopowders have been characterized and their behavior in dry uniaxial pressing followed by pressureless sintering in air investigated. Nearly full dense ceramic material has been obtained at no more than 1300°C and its grain size evaluated by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray line profile analysis as being about 200 nm. The most suitable powder for low temperature sintering was reported to be that consisting of aggregates strong enough to enable their dense packing during the die filling and early period of pressure rise but capable of being destroyed further at final stage of compaction. Several dense samples with grain size on the level of 100 nm and less have been shown to be available at 1150-1200°C if a proper molding technique would be developed.