Journal of the American Ceramic Society, Vol.85, No.1, 264-266, 2002
Analytical electron microscopy study of green ceramics formed from aqueous suspensions using the hydrolysis-assisted solidification process
During the hydrolysis-assisted solidification (HAS) of aqueous ceramic suspensions, aluminum hydroxides are formed that bind the ceramic particles into a stiff wet body. Transmission electron microscopy investigations of HAS-processed Al2O3 and ZrO2 green parts after drying revealed that the secondary phase is amorphous and distributed uniformly around the host ceramic particles. The estimated thickness of thi(s) layer was 3-5 nm. Moreover, areas of a few tens of nanometers in size were found at three-particle junctions that contained an amorphous phase and individual nanocrystals of boehmite.