Method for producing low porosity nonoxide ceramics
AssigneesRutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Office of Naval Research
InventorsThomas Tsakalakos, Enver K. Akdogan, Ilyas Savkliyildiz, Hulya Bicer, Lawrence Kabacoff, Bart Visser, William Paxton
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention relates to a method of producing ultra-high melting point nonoxide ceramics with low porosity based on sintering at low temperatures of below about 1000° C. with low DC electric fields of less than about 100 V/cm.
Claims20
A method of producing ultra-high melting point ceramics, comprising exposing a ceramic powder to an electric field of less than about 150 V/cm intensity, said ceramic power comprising greater than about 80% of nonoxide ceramic powder, wherein the average particle size of the ceramic power is between about 10 nm and about 3000 nm in diameter;
- maintaining a current below about 2 Amperes through said ceramic powder prior to the onset of sintering, wherein the onset of sintering is characterized by a power dissipation in the range of about 1 to 200 watts/cm3;
- heating the ceramic powder at a temperature below about ⅓ of the melting point of the ceramic powder;
- and
- maintaining a current of less than 20 Amperes after the onset of sintering till the completion of sintering, wherein the power density is less than about 500 watts/cm3.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.