TY - JOUR

T1 - Fabrication of porous materials by spark plasma sintering

T2 - A review

AU - Dudina, Dina V.

AU - Bokhonov, Boris B.

AU - Olevsky, Eugene A.

PY - 2019/2/12

Y1 - 2019/2/12

N2 - Spark plasma sintering (SPS), a sintering method that uses the action of pulsed direct current and pressure, has received a lot of attention due to its capability of exerting control over the microstructure of the sintered material and flexibility in terms of the heating rate and heating mode. Historically, SPS was developed in search of ways to preserve a fine-grained structure of the sintered material while eliminating porosity and reaching a high relative density. These goals have, therefore, been pursued in the majority of studies on the behavior of materials during SPS. Recently, the potential of SPS for the fabrication of porous materials has been recognized. This article is the first review to focus on the achievements in this area. The major approaches to the formation of porous materials by SPS are described: partial densification of powders (under low pressures, in pressureless sintering processes or at low temperatures), sintering of hollow particles/spheres, sintering of porous particles, and sintering with removable space holders or pore formers. In the case of conductive materials processed by SPS using the first approach, the formation of inter-particle contacts may be associated with local melting and non-conventional mechanisms of mass transfer. Studies of the morphology and microstructure of the inter-particle contacts as well as modeling of the processes occurring at the inter-particle contacts help gain insights into the physics of the initial stage of SPS. For pre-consolidated specimens, an SPS device can be used as a furnace to heat the materials at a high rate, which can also be beneficial for controlling the formation of porous structures. In sintering with space holders, SPS processing allows controlling the structure of the pore walls. In this article, using the literature data and our own research results, we have discussed the formation and structure of porous metals, intermetallics, ceramics, and carbon materials obtained by SPS.

AB - Spark plasma sintering (SPS), a sintering method that uses the action of pulsed direct current and pressure, has received a lot of attention due to its capability of exerting control over the microstructure of the sintered material and flexibility in terms of the heating rate and heating mode. Historically, SPS was developed in search of ways to preserve a fine-grained structure of the sintered material while eliminating porosity and reaching a high relative density. These goals have, therefore, been pursued in the majority of studies on the behavior of materials during SPS. Recently, the potential of SPS for the fabrication of porous materials has been recognized. This article is the first review to focus on the achievements in this area. The major approaches to the formation of porous materials by SPS are described: partial densification of powders (under low pressures, in pressureless sintering processes or at low temperatures), sintering of hollow particles/spheres, sintering of porous particles, and sintering with removable space holders or pore formers. In the case of conductive materials processed by SPS using the first approach, the formation of inter-particle contacts may be associated with local melting and non-conventional mechanisms of mass transfer. Studies of the morphology and microstructure of the inter-particle contacts as well as modeling of the processes occurring at the inter-particle contacts help gain insights into the physics of the initial stage of SPS. For pre-consolidated specimens, an SPS device can be used as a furnace to heat the materials at a high rate, which can also be beneficial for controlling the formation of porous structures. In sintering with space holders, SPS processing allows controlling the structure of the pore walls. In this article, using the literature data and our own research results, we have discussed the formation and structure of porous metals, intermetallics, ceramics, and carbon materials obtained by SPS.

KW - Inter-particle contacts

KW - Porous materials

KW - Pressureless sintering

KW - Reactive sintering

KW - Space holders

KW - Spark plasma sintering

KW - CORE-SHELL

KW - CARBON

KW - MONOLITHS

KW - reactive sintering

KW - MECHANICAL-PROPERTIES

KW - ALUMINUM

KW - HIGH-POROSITY

KW - space holders

KW - porous materials

KW - inter-particle contacts

KW - SILICA

KW - pressureless sintering

KW - POWDER

KW - ALLOY

KW - spark plasma sintering

KW - CERAMICS

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85061492661&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.3390/ma12030541

DO - 10.3390/ma12030541

M3 - Review article

C2 - 30759751

AN - SCOPUS:85061492661

VL - 12

JO - Materials

JF - Materials

SN - 1996-1944

IS - 3

M1 - 541

ER -