Ceramic composition and method of making the composition

A method of strengthening a ceramic composite, the method comprising:

• forming a wet ceramic composition comprising a plurality of discrete ceramic components and a fluxing agent dissolved in a solvent;
• removing at least a portion of the solvent from the wet ceramic composition to form a dried ceramic composition comprising the plurality of discrete ceramic components coated with the fluxing agent;
• and
• sintering the dried ceramic composition to form the ceramic composite, the sintering being carried out at a sinter temperature sufficient to fuse the discrete ceramic components at bridging sites formed where two or more of the discrete ceramic components coated with fluxing agent are in physical contact,
• the ceramic composite having a first tensile strength that is greater than a second tensile strength of a second ceramic composite, if the second ceramic composite were to be made using a similar process with the same ingredients in the same amounts by weight as the ceramic composite having the first tensile strength, except that the fluxing agent of the second ceramic composite was non-soluble and remained in a solid form that was not dissolved in a solvent while making the second ceramic composite.