Electric field processing of ferroelectric particulate ceramics and composites

The ability to create electroceramic sub-micron particles has outpaced the ability to usefully assemble these particles and utilize the finer particle and grain size characteristics. By suspending these particles in a liquid medium, charges and/or dipoles interacting with an applied electric field can be used to fabricate novel structures. This paper discusses two electric field processes for the manipulation of electroceramic powders: a) electrophoretic deposition for the formation of thin/thick layers, and b) dielectrophoresis for the formation of composites with anisotropic dielectric properties.