Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are probably the strongest material ever known with outstanding mechanical, electrical and physical properties [1, 2]. It is postulated that by transferring these fabulous properties as reinforcements in inorganic matrices, a new class of nanocomposite to meet the requirement of advanced applications will be generated. Al2O3 ceramics have been widely used for structural,...

The effects of CeO2 addition on the sintering behavior and mechanical properties of Y-TZP have been investigated over a wide sintering regime by pressureless sintering. It has been revealed that small additions of CeO2 (0.3-1.0 wt%) to Y-TZP were beneficial in enhancing the mechanical properties and hydrothermal ageing resistance of Y-TZP. Sintered samples were used to evaluate the bulk density...

High porosity (>40 vol %) iron specimens with micro- and nanoscale isotropic pores were fabricated by carrying out free pressureless spark plasma sintering (FPSPS) of submicron hollow Fe-N powders at 750 °C. Ultra-fine porous microstructures are obtained by imposing high heating rates during the preparation process. This specially designed approach not only avoids the extra procedures of adding...

Two types of Aluminum nitride (AlN) based ceramic nanocomposite with multifunctionality were investigated to improve machinability or electrical conductivity of AlN ceramics with high thermal conductivity. The AlN/BN nanocomposite was fabricated by pressureless sintering AlN-BN composite powder, which was prepared by reducing and heating AlN particles coated with a mixture of boric acid, urea a...

Composites containing Ce-Zr02, Al,O,, and aligned A1202 platelets were produced by centrifugal consolidation and pressureless sintering, followed by beat treatments at 1600°C for varied duration. Constituents in the consolidated microstructures were either uniformly distributed throughout or segregated into gradient layers, depending critically on platelet content. Quantitative image analysis w...