Traditional methods of pressing and sintering of churlish materials require long time of processing under the condition of high temperatures. MEPhI Interdepartmental laboratory of perspective technologies of creation of new materials (№346) has advanced methods of powder consolidation that are used for processing and getting of new materials under the influence of electromagnetic fields: spark-plasma sintering, microwave sintering, magnetic-pulse pressing. Their application improves efficiency, lowers the time of consolidation and saves initial nanostructure of difficult-to-form churlish powder materials.
The project “Creation of new hybrid technologies of electropulse consolidation of ceramic materials from powders of aluminum oxinitride, sialon, aluminum oxide with graphene” has been supported by the Russian Science Foundation and will be realized by employees of Interdepartmental laboratory №346 under the supervision of E.G. Grigoriev.
Works in MEPhI are conducted with active participation of academic institutions. According to the words of Evgeniy Grigoriev, the idea of the project is to combine modern and unique research equipment for processing and studying of properties of materials of university laboratory, advanced technologies of getting of aluminum oxide and oxinitride powders in Institute of Metallurgy and Material Science, sialon in ISMAN and graphene in IMASH RAN.
Previously technologies of getting powders and high-intensity electropulse technologies of materials’ processing were researched independent of each other, which, undoubtedly, hampered the development of generalized ideas and comparative analysis in new sphere of hybrid electropulse technologies of material making. The realization of the project will allow to create a unique opportunity for holding the only one of its kind scientific program of studying technological directions in one research group.
At the moment the research of interdepartmental laboratory scientists is aimed at creation of new hybrid technologies of consolidation under the influence of pulse electromagnetic field of high-strength nanostructured ceramic materials on the basis of aluminum oxide and oxinitride, solid solutions on the basis of silicon nitrides (sialons) and their compositions with graphene. However, the development of unique possibilities of hybrid sintering technologies with the application of electromagnetic fields is limited by the absence of theoretical concepts which allow to predict and optimize these technologies. In connection with this, one of the principle aims is the development of fundamental concepts of consolidation of powder ceramic materials under the impact of electromagnetic field with the accent on new hybrid technologies of processing.
Nowadays hybrid electropulse technologies are applied in the industry; they serve as the basis for a technological breakthrough in processing of nanostructured ceramic powder materials. It is expected that the results of experiments will give the possibility to mark out factors of thermal and non-thermal origin specific for electromagnetic methods of consolidation.
