During sintering of ceramics, the ceramic powder particles are heated to a high temperature below their melting point, which causes the particles to diffuse and bond with neighboring particles. This process reduces the surface energy of the particles by decreasing their vapor-solid interfaces and leads to the densification of the material, as the pores in the "green compact" diminish or close up. As a result, the mechanical properties of the ceramic part are improved, and other properties such as strength, electrical conductivity, transparency, and thermal conductivity may also be enhanced.
The driving force behind the sintering process is the reduction of surface energy of the particles, which is achieved by decreasing their vapor-solid interfaces. This process involves the diffusion of atoms, which causes the interface between powder particles to disappear. The sintering process can be divided into different stages, starting with the formation of neck connections between the powders and ending with the elimination of small pores.
At the microscopic scale, material transfer is affected by pressure changes and free energy differences across the surface. The influence of these effects becomes significant when the size of the particles is small, as the change in energy is much higher when the radius of curvature is less than a few microns. This is one of the main reasons why many ceramic technologies are based on the use of fine-grained materials.
The variables that can be controlled for any given material during sintering are temperature and initial grain size, as vapor pressure is temperature-dependent. Sintering is used in the manufacture of ceramic objects, including pottery, and is often associated with material shrinkage as the glass phases flow once the transition temperature has been reached. The process is driven through the use of high temperatures, although this can be coupled with other forces such as pressure or electrical currents.
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