Strategy of Sintering Ceramics Under Extreme Conditions

Abstract

Advanced ceramics play a critical role in high-tech industries. Development of advanced ceramics faces two major challenges: contradiction between densification and grain growth during sintering leading to “mechanical strength ceiling”, contradiction between hardness and fracture toughness. We have proposed and developed the strategy of extreme condition sintering, which has provided valuable insights into addressing the challenges. This study summarizes the recent advancements of the new techniques in the sintering of ceramics under extreme conditions, including ultra-fast heating, strong electric fields, high or ultra-high pressure, and multi-field coupling, and puts forward the proposal and perspective for future work.