Cold Sintering of Functional Materials and Control of Grain Boundaries
RANDALL C. 1, NDAYISHIMIYE A. 1, GRADY Z. 1, FAN Z. 1, MENA GARCIA J. 1
1 The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, United States
Cold Sintering involves a transient phase that permits the densification of particulate materials at low temperatures 300 oC and below. Sintering at such low temperature offers so many new opportunities. It permits the integration of metastable materials that would typically decompose at high temperatures. So cold sinter enables a platform for better unification of material science. Now ceramics, metal and polymers can be processed under a common platform in one step processes. With controlling the forming process new nanocomposites can be fabricated. Polymers, gels and nanoparticulates can be dispersed, interconnected and sintered in the grain boundaries of a ceramic matrix phase. Various examples will be given to describe various forms of property changes that can be appreciated from this new method of composite design. Examples will be given around dielectrics, semiconductors, and mixed ionic conductors.