CORRELATION OF DENSIFICATION KINETICS OF POLYCRYSTALLINE CERAMICS WITH COLLOID INTERFACE VARIABLES

Abstract

Densification kinetics of Al2O3 and Y-doped ZrO2 ceramics was quantitatively correlated with the kinetic stability of the corresponding colloidal suspensions. Analysis of the densification data showed that increasing the kinetic stability of suspension significantly enhances the rate constant of sintering in the linear densification regime. A concept of critical stability of colloidal suspension was applied to the interpretation of densification kinetics of Al2O3 and Y-doped ZrO2, and this demonstrated a direct linear correlation of the stability ratio (W) with the reciprocal densification-rate constant with a transition behavior at the critical stability point.