Ceramics and nanostructure composites - multifonctional

Aims

To develop nanostructured ceramics with improved, unique or multifunctional properties by controlling the microstructure, starting from the overview stages and/or the functionalisation of nanopowders, dispersion and formatting.

Activities

Ceramic powder engineering

• Functionalisation of nanopowders (Al2O3 - ZrO2) by wet oxidation (collaboration Politecnico di Torino)
• To scale effect of the structure of the powder on the final microstructure

Transparent polycrystalline polyceramics

Transparent ceramics obtained by SPS

• SPS (Al2O3, YAG, MgAl2O4...)
• The effect of formatting, dispersion, stimulants and the sintering cycle

Creep-resistant ceramic nanocomposites

Aluminium oxide-based micro-nanocomposites

• Contolling the microstructure (dispersion, formatting, type of sintering)
• SPS: thermal gradients /internal stress
• Creep resistance: effect of the composition/content of the second phase and of the microstructure on creep mechanisms

Zero expansion ceramic composites

Aluminium oxide and beta-eucryptite-based composite

• Overview of negative thermal expansion ceramic materials (NTE)
• Production of oxide and non-oxide matrix composites (natural sintering)