Flash Sintering of Ceramics: in Seconds not Days!
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Abstract:
Ceramics are used in a wide range of applications, from nuclear fuels to common building materials. Traditional densification of ceramics (sintering) is typically conducted by firing
packed ceramic powders shaped into a green body in a high temperature furnace. The high temperatures and long times required to sinter ceramics to high density are the reason for the
large energy cost during manufacturing. The direct application of an electric field to a green body in air not only reduces the sintering temperature for ceramics but also can form unique ceramic compositions and sintering to high density can be completed in seconds. This process does not require external pressure and is called flash sintering (as in sintering in a flash), a form of field assisted sintering. This presentation will discuss the basics behind flash sintering, and show data and video of the actual flash sinter process for ceramic composites that can be tailored for optimal material properties.
Ceramics are used in a wide range of applications, from nuclear fuels to common building materials. Traditional densification of ceramics (sintering) is typically conducted by firing
packed ceramic powders shaped into a green body in a high temperature furnace. The high temperatures and long times required to sinter ceramics to high density are the reason for the
large energy cost during manufacturing. The direct application of an electric field to a green body in air not only reduces the sintering temperature for ceramics but also can form unique ceramic compositions and sintering to high density can be completed in seconds. This process does not require external pressure and is called flash sintering (as in sintering in a flash), a form of field assisted sintering. This presentation will discuss the basics behind flash sintering, and show data and video of the actual flash sinter process for ceramic composites that can be tailored for optimal material properties.
Biography:
Originally from the LA area and a Marine Corp veteran, David Kok is currently a 5th year Ph.D. candidate in Materials Science and Engineering at UCI who will graduate June 2019. He works with Professors Martha Mecartney at UCI and Rishi Raj at CU Boulder with his research focused on ceramic composites with an emphasis on ceramic processing using electric field enhanced sintering. He has presented numerous talks at national and international conferences and
published several papers on flash sintering of multiphase ceramics. His is currently supported by a National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship and his research is supported by NSF. Before graduate school; David Kok was as a community college transfer student from Mt. San Antonio College to Cal Poly Pomona, where he received his B.S. in Chemistry in 2014.
Originally from the LA area and a Marine Corp veteran, David Kok is currently a 5th year Ph.D. candidate in Materials Science and Engineering at UCI who will graduate June 2019. He works with Professors Martha Mecartney at UCI and Rishi Raj at CU Boulder with his research focused on ceramic composites with an emphasis on ceramic processing using electric field enhanced sintering. He has presented numerous talks at national and international conferences and
published several papers on flash sintering of multiphase ceramics. His is currently supported by a National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship and his research is supported by NSF. Before graduate school; David Kok was as a community college transfer student from Mt. San Antonio College to Cal Poly Pomona, where he received his B.S. in Chemistry in 2014.
