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Why is small particle size important in advanced ceramic sintering?
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advanced ceramics
Steps in doctor blading, a tape-casting process employed in the production of ceramic films. Ceramic powder and solvent are mixed to form a slurry, which is treated with various additives and binders, homogenized, and then pumped directly to a tape-casting machine. There the slurry is continuously cast onto the surface of a moving carrier film. The edge of a smooth knife, generally called a doctor blade, spreads the slurry onto the carrier film at a specified thickness, thereby generating a flexible tape. Heat lamps gently evaporate the solvent, and the dry tape is peeled away from the carrier film and rolled onto a take-up reel for additional processing.
In the production of advanced ceramics, small particle size is a critical factor for effective sintering. Its importance is primarily due to two factors:
- Increased Driving Force: Small particles possess a larger ratio of surface area to mass, which generates a higher driving force for the sintering process.1
- Reduced Diffusion Distance: Smaller particle sizes significantly shorten the distances over which the diffusion of material must occur to bond particles together.1
By using active ceramic powders—typically in the submicrometre range—ceramists can more efficiently achieve densification through solid-state sintering or reactive-liquid sintering. This process relies on the diffusion of matter to "neck" regions between particles, which reduces porosity and enhances the final material's mechanical and physical properties.123