• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.16-20
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• 2005

In order to improve electrical conductivity and mechanical properties of 8YSZ SOFC electrolyte material, we used Al₂O₃ as an additive and applied the spark plasma sintering (SPS) method. The sintered bodies were densified above 96 ％ of theoretical density at 1200℃ and possessed microstructures composed of homogeneous grains less than 1 ㎛ in size. The addition of Al₂O₃ improved fracture toughness and bending strength by inhibiting grain growth of 8YSZ and increased total ionic conductivity because grain interior conductivity appeared to remain constant and grain boundary conductivity increased. It was assumed that the dissolution of Al₂O₃ into 8YSZ which was inevitable problem at commercial sintering method was effectively prohibited by the SPS technique with a relatively low sintering temperature and the reaction between Al₂O₃ and SiO₂ present at grain boundary to produce the crystalline Al/sub 2-x/Si/sub l-y/O/sub 5/ phase, resulting in the increase of grain boundary conductivity.

• Journal of the Korean Crystal Growth and Crystal Technology
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.115-119
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• 2001

Hydroxyapatite-yttria stabilized zirconia bioceramics containing fine zirconia particles were prepared as 3-layered functionally graded materials (FGMs) using a spark plasma sintering (SPS) and hot pressing (HP) apparatuses. The pretreatment of the raw hydroxyapatite promoted the sinterability of hydroxyapatite. The maximum density of pretreated FGM composites could be obtained at lower temperature than that for he untreated FGM samples. No decomposition from hydroxyapatite to three calcium phosphate (TCP) was observed in FGMs of HAp-$ZrO_2$ sintered below $1200^{\circ}C$ for 8 min under 10 MPa by SPS. However, the transformation of the tetragonal zirconia to the cubic modification had occurred in FGMs at this temperature. The presence of zirconia i.e. stress induced transformation of zirconia may be expected to enhance the mechanical properties of HAp-$ZrO_2$ FGM. The SPS is concluded as a better method to fabricated the FGM with dense and high strength compared with HP process.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.493-497
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• 2011

The basic properties and electrical characteristics of sputtering films deposited with a commercial cast target and spark plasma sintering (SPS) were compared and analyzed. The results, revealed that, the Al film prepared by heating at $60^{\circ}C/min$ (SPS process) showed a specific resistance similar to the commercial cast Al film. In addition, the results of XRD, SIMS and TEM, showed that there was not much difference in the crystal structure and impurities between the two films. Consequently, the SPS Al target was found to have properties quite similar to the commercial one and it is expected to be applied in future research to the metal wiring material for semiconductor/display devices.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.58 no.9
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• pp.1757-1763
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• 2009

The composites were fabricated by adding 0, 15, 20, 25[vol.%] Zirconium Diboride(hereafter, $ZrB_2$) powders as a second phase to Silicon Carbide(hereafter, SiC) matrix. The physical, mechanical and electrical properties of electroconductive SiC ceramic composites by Spark Plasma Sintering(hereafter, SPS) were examined. Reactions between ${\beta}-SiC$ and $ZrB_2$ were not observed in the XRD analysis. The relative density of mono SiC, SiC+15[vol.%]$ZrB_2$, SiC+20[vol.%]$ZrB_2$ and SiC+25[vol.%]$ZrB_2$ composites are 90.93[%], 74.62[%], 74.99[%] and 72.61[%], respectively. The XRD phase analysis of the electroconductive SiC ceramic composites reveals high of SiC and $ZrB_2$ and low of $ZrO_2$ phase. The lowest flexural strength, 108.79[MPa], shown in SiC+15[vol.%] $ZrB_2$ composite and the highest - 220.15[MPa] - in SiC+20[vol.%] $ZrB_2$composite at room temperature. The trend of the mechanical properties of the electroconductive SiC ceramic composites moves in accord with that of the relative density. The electrical resistivities of mono SiC, SiC+15[vol.%]$ZrB_2$, SiC+20[vol.%]$ZrB_2$ and SiC+25[vol.%]$ZrB_2$ composites are 4.57${\times}10^{-1}$, 2.13${\times}10^{-1}$, 1.53${\times}10^{-1}$ and 6.37${\times}10^{-2}$[${\Omega}$ cm] at room temperature, respectively. The electrical resistivity of mono SiC, SiC+15[vol.%]$ZrB_2$. SiC+20[vol.%]$ZrB_2$ and SiC+25[vol.%]$ZrB_2$ are Negative Temperature Coefficient Resistance(hereafter, NTCR) in temperature ranges from 25[$^{\circ}C$] to 100[$^{\circ}C$]. The declination of V-I characteristics of SiC+20[vol.%]$ZrB_2$ composite is 3.72${\times}10^{-1}$. It is convinced that SiC+20[vol.%]$ZrB_2$ composite by SPS can be applied for heater or electrode above 1000[$^{\circ}C$]

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.505-509
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• 2009

In this study, bulk nano-crystalline $Si_3N_4$ ceramics were fabricated by spark plasma sintering (SPS) and their mechanical properties, in particular wear, were investigated. A wide range of grain sizes, from 80 nm and 250 nm were obtained by varying sintering conditions ($1550^{\circ}C$-5 min to $1650^{\circ}C$-20 min). The elastic modulus of obtained ceramics was ${\sim}250$ GPa and hardness was in the range of $13{\sim}14$ GPa. The indentation fracture toughness increased from $2.58MPa{\cdot}m^{1/2}$ to $3.24MPa{\cdot}m^{1/2}$ with increasing sintering temperature possibly due to the elongated grains. Sliding wear tests revealed at least an order magnitude improvement in wear resistance with grain refinement. Microstructure analysis indicated that nano-$Si_3N_4$ specimens worn mainly through delamination and microcracking, while that of coarser specimens revealed severe wear with grain debonding and fracture.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.94-100
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• 2008

The implant prototypes with various porosities were fabricated by Spark Plasma Sintering of atomized spherical titanium balls. The interface was observed by optical microscope. Sintering temperature and holding time were selected at the point of big change of Z-axis ratio during sintering. These experiments show that Spark Plasma Sintering of spherical titanium balls can be efficiently used to produce implants surfaced with titanium balls with various porosities in a short time less than 120 seconds by manipulating the current condition such as z-axis, temperature and balls size.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.560-565
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• 2003

M-doped (M=Al, Ni) ZnO thermoelectric materials were fully densified at low temperatures of 800∼1,000$^{\circ}C$ and their sintering characteristics and microstructural features were investigated. Electron microscopic analysis showed that the addition of NiO promoted tile formation of solid solution and caused actively grain growth. The addition of A1$_2$O$_3$ prevented the evaporation of pure ZnO at grain boundaries and suppressed the grain growth by the formation of secondary phase. In case of the addition of A1$_2$O$_3$ together with NiO, the specimen showed an excellent microstructure and also the SEM-EBSP (Electron Back-scattered Diffraction Pattern) analysis confirmed that it shows a superior grain boundary distribution to the others specimens. These microstructural characteristics induced by the addition of A1$_2$O$_3$ together with NiO may increase the electrical conductivity by the increase in carrier concentration and decrease the thermal conductivity by the phonon scattering effect and, consequently, improve the thermoelectric property.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.61-65
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• 2012

A $Li_2O-2SiO_2$ ($LS_2$) glass was investigated as a lithium-ion conducting oxide glass, which is applicable to a fast ionic conductor even at low temperature due to its high mechanical strength and chemical stability. The $Li_2O-2SiO_2$ glass is likely to be broken into small pieces when quenched; thus, it is difficult to fabricate a specifically sized sample. The production of properly sized glass samples is necessary for device applications. In this study, we applied spark plasma sintering (SPS) to fabricate $LS_2$ glass samples which have a particular size as well as high transparency. The sintered samples, $15mm\phi{\times}2mmT$ in size, ($LS_2$-s) were produced by SPS between $480^{\circ}C$ and $500^{\circ}C$ at 45MPa for 3~5mim, after which the thermal and dielectric properties of the $LS_2$-s samples were compared with those of quenched glass ($LS_2$-q) samples. Thermal behavior, crystalline structure, and electrical conductivity of both samples were analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and an impedance/gain-phase analyzer, respectively. The results showed that the $LS_2$-s had an amorphous structure, like the $LS_2$-q sample, and that both samples took on the lithium disilicate structure after the heat treatment at $800^{\circ}C$. We observed similar dielectric peaks in both of the samples between room temperature and $700^{\circ}C$. The DC activation energies of the $LS_2$-q and $LS_2$-s samples were $0.48{\pm}0.05eV$ and $0.66{\pm}0.04eV$, while the AC activation energies were $0.48{\pm}0.05eV$ and $0.68{\pm}0.04eV$, respectively.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.95-100
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• 2008

The investigation is to modify the mechanical and chemical properties of Mg alloys using a combination of rapid solidification and surface treatment. As the first approach, $Mg_{95}Zn_{4.3}Y_{0.7}$ was gas atomized and pressure sintered by spark plasma sintering process (SPS), showing much finer microstructure and higher strength than the alloys as cast. Further modification was performed by treating the surface of PM Mg specimen using Plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) process. During the PEO processing, MgO layer was initiated to form on the surface of Mg powder compacts, and the thickness and the density of MgO layer were varied with the reaction time. The thickening rate became low with the reaction time due to the limited diffusion rate of Mg ions. The surface morphology, corrosion behavior and wear resistance were also discussed.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.436-441
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• 2023

Molybdenum-tungsten (Mo-W) alloy sputtering targets are widely utilized in fields like electronics, nanotechnology, sensors, and as gate electrodes for TFT-LCDs, owing to their superior properties such as high-temperature stability, low thermal expansion coefficient, electrical conductivity, and corrosion resistance. To achieve optimal performance in application, these targets' purity, relative density, and grain size of these targets must becarefully controlled. We utilized nanopowders, prepared via the Pechini method, to obtain uniform and fine powders, then carried out spark plasma sintering (SPS) to densify these powders. Our studies revealed that the sintered compacts made from these nanopowders exhibited outstanding features, such as a high relative density of more than 99%, consistent grain size of 3.43 ㎛, and shape, absence of preferred orientation.