Instituto de Óptica “Daza de Valdés”

Cold sintering of complex-shaped ceramic materials

Cold sintering of complex-shaped ceramic materials

Óptica para el espacio e iones de alta energía (GOLDION)

  • For the first time, dense ceramics with complex shapes have been obtained through the cold sintering process, opening new avenues in advanced materials manufacturing.

  • This innovative approach makes it possible to obtain ceramic materials with intricate shapes and homogeneous microstructures, significantly reducing energy consumption in their production.

Madrid / September 17, 2024

Scientists from the Institute of Ceramics and Glass and the Institute of Optics of the CSIC in collaboration with researchers from the universities of Trento and Padua in Italy have published an innovative study in which the cold sintering of ceramic materials with complex shapes is achieved. This work, a pioneer in its field, demonstrates for the first time the feasibility of producing dense and homogeneous ceramics using this low-energy method, opening up new possibilities in the manufacture of ceramic components with potential applications in various industries.

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Cold sintering is an emerging process in the manufacturing of ceramic materials that has gained attention due to its ability to densify ceramics at much lower temperatures than conventional methods, which require temperatures of thousands of degrees, thereby significantly reducing energy consumption. This process, which uses extremely high pressures instead of temperature along with the addition of a solvent, allows the reorganization and densification of ceramic particles at temperatures close to room temperature.

However, until now, cold sintering had been limited to the production of small, simple samples, mainly in the form of discs. The manufacturing of more complex shapes using this method represented a significant challenge due to the difficulty of applying pressure uniformly throughout the sample.

This study addresses that challenge, proposing an innovative approach that achieves cold sintering with the use of removable molds, thus opening new paths in the manufacturing of complex ceramic structures with applications in sectors ranging from biomedicine to construction.

Diagram of the formation of ceramic discs by pressure in a cylinder, with details of the moulds with shapes interspersed between the discs
Workflow of the process for obtaining complex-shaped ceramics by cold sintering of powder: a) design and 3D printing of the mould; b) loading of the mould (die) and cold sintering process; c) production of negative and positive shapes by unloading the mould. Different views of moulds S1 and S2 are shown in d) and e) / Journal of the European Ceramic Society
In the study, inspired by techniques used in spark plasma sintering (SPS), they designed a spacer accessory that acts as a removable mould, manufactured by 3D printing with a photocurable resin. This spacer was introduced into the ceramic powder before the sintering process, allowing the desired shape to be maintained during compaction. To validate the method, four different types of ceramics were tested: biogenic hydroxyapatite, zinc oxide, diatomaceous earth and recycled construction and demolition waste. Throughout the process, the density, geometry and microstructure of the obtained samples were evaluated, verifying that the achieved density and microstructural homogeneity were comparable to those of simpler samples, confirming the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Following this work, the research team has set out to optimise the present cold sintering process to reduce and control the distortions found caused by uniaxial pressing.

Article: Sonia Marín-Cortés, Mattia Biesuz, Subhadip Bhandari, Giorgia Franchin, Esther Enríquez, José F. Fernández and Vincenzo M. Sglavo. “Cold sintering of complex-shaped ceramic materials”. Journal of the European Ceramic SocietyVolume 44, Issue 16. August 2024

IO-CSIC Communication
cultura.io@io.cfmac.csic.es

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