The goal of this research is to investigate the nature of forces between particles during sintering of ceramics. The nature of the forces determines the conditions under which the particles and their grain boundaries are wet and, also, whether the liquid phase can be rejected from the ceramic after densification. The specific objectives of the project are to establish whether particles in a sintering liquid are electrostatically charged and to determine the force/separation function between particles. The work will primarily be carried out on zirconia based ceramics. The results are expected to contribute significantly towards our fundamental understanding of liquid phase sintering of ceramics and aid in the control the wetting of grain boundaries to optimize properties of practical ceramics presently limited by intergranular phases.
