A researcher from North Carolina State University has
developed a technique for creating high-density ceramic materials that requires
far lower temperatures than current techniques – and takes less than a second,
as opposed to hours. Ceramics are used in a wide variety of technologies,
including body armor, fuel cells, spark plugs, nuclear rods and
superconductors.
At issue is a process known as “sintering,” which is when
ceramic powders (such as zirconia) are compressed into a desired shape and
exposed to high heat until the powder particles are bound together into a
solid, but slightly porous, material. But new research from Dr. Jay Narayan,
John C. Fan Distinguished Chair Professor of Materials Science and Engineering
at NC State, may revolutionize the sintering process.