• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
• /
• v.36 no.7
• /
• pp.734-741
• /
• 1999

Al2O3/t-ZrO2 particulate composites were prepared by sintering at 150$0^{\circ}C$ and 1$600^{\circ}C$ for 2h in air and microstructure and mechanical properties of the composites were investigated. Although most ZrO2 particles existed at Al2O3 grain boundaries a few ZrO2 particles within Al2O3 grains. Al2O3 grain growth was depressed due to the pinning effect by ZrO2 particles. During sintering coarsening of intergranular ZrO2 particles occurred as a results of the elimination of ZrO2 intraagglomerate grain boundaries and the coalescence of dragged ZrO2 particles by migrating Al2O3 grain boundries. Changes in mechanical properties of Al2O3 composites were dependant on microstructure of Al2O3 matrix and on size and structure of dispersed ZrO2.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
• /
• v.22 no.5
• /
• pp.76-84
• /
• 1985

Mechanical property enhancing mechanisms of $Al_2O_3-ZrO_2$ two phase ceramic composites were studied for several compositions of different $ZrO_2$/$Al_2O_3$ ratio. Microstructural analysis of $Al_2O_3-ZrO_3$(pure) composites indicated that pre-existing microcrack due to larger $ZrO_2$ particle at grain boundary extended along alumina grain boundaries within process zone. Microcracks also nucleated when very small $ZrO_2$ particles at the grain boundaries transformed to monoclinic phase at near of main crack tip. These types of microcracks could contribute to the toughening achieved by creating additional crack surface area during crack propagation. Microstructural analyses also showed that the average grain size and abnormal grain size of $Al_2O_3$ were decreased with increasing $ZrO_2$ vol% in $Al_2O_3$ matrix. As a result it could be concluded as follows In TEX>$Al_2O_3-ZrO_3$(pure) system 1. Microcrack nucleation (stress-induced microcracking) and extension was effective mechanism for absorpiton of fracture energy 2, More narrow distribution and smaller grain size of $Al_2O_3$ due to $ZrO_2$particles mainly contributed to main-tatin the strength and hardness.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
• /
• v.29 no.11
• /
• pp.888-892
• /
• 1992

The chemically induced grain-boundary migration has been studied in MgAl2O4 spinel under ZnO atmosphere. MgAl2O4 compacts been prepared by sintering powder mixture of Al2O3 and MgO at 1$600^{\circ}C$ for 60 h in air. The sintered MgAl2O4 has been heat-treated at 150$0^{\circ}C$ in a ZnO atmosphere. During the heat-treatment grain boundaries have become curved or faceted, and the total area of grain boundaries have increased. In the migrated region, the ZnO content is higher by 6 wt% than that in other regions, indicating that the migration was induced by addition of ZnO. In some shrinking grains, the faceted planes of different grain boundaries for the same grain are parallel to each other. This result provide an experimental support for the coherency strain energy in diffusion layer of the shrinking grain as being the major driving force. Calculated coherency strain energy of MgAl2O4 shows the maximum at {111} planes and the minimum at {100} planes. Although the minimum surface energy is at {111} planes, the faceted moving boundaries are expected to be {100} planes because of lowest driving force for the grain-boundary migration.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
• /
• v.37 no.4
• /
• pp.314-319
• /
• 2000

Microstructueral development and electrical properties in ZnO-Bi2O3-ZnAl2O4 system were investigated with ZnAl2O4 content(0.1~1.0 mol%). The shrinakge of specimens started around $700^{\circ}C$ and finished at 110$0^{\circ}C$, reaching a maximum shrinkage rate at 80$0^{\circ}C$. The shrinkage rate is strongly related to the fromation of a Bi-rich liquid. The increase of the ZnAl2O4 content inhibited the grain growth of ZnO. Most of ZnAl2O4 particles located at the grain boundaries were about 2~3${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$. ZnO grain size changed little up to 110$0^{\circ}C$, but increased markedly above 115$0^{\circ}C$, especially at lower ZnAl2O4 content. Drastic decreasing in breakdown voltage(Vb) with increasing temperature is expected to be dependent on the ZnO grain size and the distribution of the largest grains between the electrode. The nonlinear I-V characteristic was significantly influenced by the ZnAl2O4 content, which exhibited a maximum value at about 15${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ of ZnO grain size.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
• /
• v.32 no.1
• /
• pp.106-112
• /
• 1995

In order to examine the effect of CuO and Al2O3 addition on the electrical conductivity of ZnO, both Al2O3 (0, 1, 2, 5, 10at.%) and CuO (1, 5at.%) were added to ZnO. Al2O3 addition (~2at.% Al) increased the total electrical conductivity of ZnO which was already decreased by CuO doping effect Above solid solubility of Al (~2at.%), ZnAl2O4 formed and the total electrical conductivity decreased due to the decrease of sintered density. Impedance measurements were used to know the reason and degree of contribution of three resistive elements, ZnO grain, ZnO/CuO, and ZnO/ZnO grain boundaries, to the total electrical conductivity changed.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
• /
• v.27 no.1
• /
• pp.55-61
• /
• 1990

Effect of Al2O3 addition on the mechanical properties and microstructure of Ce-TZP were studied. 12, 14, 16Ce-TZP containing 0-40wt% Al2O3 were prepared by sintering at 155$0^{\circ}C$ for 2h. in air. Density, linear shrinkage, bending strength, Vickers hardness, microstructuer and the amount of stress induced phase transformation were examined. Vickers hardness increased linearly with increasing amounts of Al2O3. The amount of transformation and fracture toughness decreased linearly with increasing amount of Al2O3. Linear shrinkage and relative density decreased with increasing Al2O3 content in all composition of Ce-TZP. Grain growth of Ce-TZP was inhibited by Al2O3 dispersion and fracture mode of Ce-TZP/Al2O3 composites transformed from intergranular to transgranular fracture as the amount of Al2O3 increased. TEM observation revealed that Al2O3 particles were located mainly at grain boundaries of ZrO2.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
• /
• v.29 no.12
• /
• pp.791-795
• /
• 2016

The effects of $TiO_2$ addition on the electrical insulation of AlN ceramics with 1 wt% $Y_2O_3$ as a sintering aid have been investigated. Some of $TiO_2$ has reacted with AlN powders and transformed to fine TiN particles during sintering, which was uniformly dispersed along grain boundaries of AlN. At a high electrical field (500 V/mm), the resistivity of AlN ceramics with $TiO_2$ addition of 0.2 wt% increased about 1000 times from $3{\times}10^{10}{\Omega}cm$ to $3.1{\times}10^{13}{\Omega}cm$. Based on the impedance spectroscopy measurement, it was found that $TiO_2$ addition increased dramatically electrical resistivity of AlN grains much more than that of grain boundaries. Thus, $TiO_2$ was believed to dissolve inside AlN grains to suppress ionic conduction of Al vacancies. This suppressed ionic conduction by Ti incorporation into AlN grains seems to contribute to more electrically insulating AlN ceramics.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
• /
• v.10 no.2
• /
• pp.122-127
• /
• 2000

Microstructural evolutions in ceria-stabilized zirconia (Ce-TZP) and alumina-dispersed Ce-TZP ceramics were investigated as functions of doping and annealing conditions. All of sintered specimens showed the relative density over 99 %. Sintered specimens had linear grain boundaries and normal grain shapes, but ceria-doped specimens had irregular grain shapes and nonlinear grain boundaries due to the diffusion-induced grain boundary migration during annealing at $1650^{\circ}C$ for 2 h. Mean grain boundary length of Ce-TZP with irregular grain shapes was higher than that of normal grain shapes, and was a value of 23pm at the maximum. Alumina particles dispersed in Ce-TZP inhibited the grain growth of zirconia particles. $Al_2O_3$Ce-TZP doped with ceria and annealed at $1650^{\circ}C$ for 2 h showed irregular grain shapes as well as small grain size. Added alumina particles showed the grain growth during sintering or annealing, and they changed the position from grain boundary to inside of the grains during the annealing. The specimens with normal grain shapes showed an intergranular fracture mode, whereas the specimens with irregular grain shapes showed a transgranular fracture mode during the crack propagation.

• Proceedings of the Korean Powder Metallurgy Institute Conference
• /
• 1996.11a
• /
• pp.6-6
• /
• 1996

Ceramic based nanocomposite, in which nano-sized ceramics and metals were dispersed within matrix grains and/or at grain boundaries, were successfully fabricated in the ceramic/cerarnic and ceramic/metal composite systems such as $Al_2O_3$/SiC, $Al_2O_3$/$Si_3N_4$, MgO/SiC, mullite/SiC, $Si_3N_4/SiC, $Si_3N_4$/B, $Al_2O_3$/W, $Al_2O_3$/Mo, $Al_2O_3$/Ni and $ZrO_2$/Mo systems. In these systems, the ceramiclceramic composites were fabricated from homogeneously mixed powders, powders with thin coatings of the second phases and amorphous precursor composite powders by usual powder metallurgical methods. The ceramiclmetal nanocomposites were prepared by combination of H2 reduction of metal oxides in the early stage of sinterings and usual powder metallurgical processes. The transmission electron microscopic observation for the $Al_2O_3$/SiC nanocomposite indicated that the second phases less than 70nm were mainly located within matrix grains and the larger particles were dispersed at the grain boundaries. The similar observation was also identified for other cerarnic/ceramic and ceramiclmetal nanocornposites. The striking findings in these nanocomposites were that mechanical properties were significantly improved by the nano-sized dispersion from 5 to 10 vol% even at high temperatures. For example, the improvement in hcture strength by 2 to 5 times and in creep resistance by 2 to 4 orders was observed not only for the ceramidceramic nanocomposites but also for the ceramiclmetal nanocomposites with only 5~01%se cond phase. The newly developed silicon nitride/boron nitride nanocomposites, in which nano-sized hexagonal BN particulates with low Young's modulus and fracture strength were dispersed mainly within matrix grains, gave also the strong improvement in fracture strength and thermal shock fracture resistance. In presentation, the process-rnicro/nanostructure-properties relationship will be presented in detail. The special emphasis will be placed on the understanding of the roles of nano-sized dispersions on mechanical properties.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
• /
• v.13 no.6
• /
• pp.309-314
• /
• 2003

A spark plasma sintering technique has been used for the fabrication of $Al_2O_3$-SiC nanocomposites at the low temperature of $1100^{\circ}C$∼$1500^{\circ}C$. The sintered $Al_2O_3$-SiC composites shows very homogeneous microstructure without any particular abnormal grain growth, indicating that the addition of nano-sized SiC particles is very effective to control grain growth and to induce the residual stress in the $Al_2O_3$ matrix, resulting in the intragranular fracture. These SiC particles are present in the grain boundaries and also intragrain, depending on the sintering condition, and improve remarkably the mechanical properties of $Al_2O_3$-SiC composite through the mechanisms of strengthening and toughening induced by crack diffraction and crack bridging.