Title: Reactive spark plasma sintering of advanced materials

Abstract

Spark plasma sintering (SPS) is an efficient method for fabricating various bulk dense materials, including ceramics. Reactive spark plasma sintering (RSPS) of the exothermic reaction systems involves an initial powder mixture that allows chemical transformation with release of an additional energy during the SPS process. Thus, a deep understanding of the chemistry is critical for controlling the microstructure and thus the properties of the obtained materials. Recent publications have revealed that the RSPS is widely used for manufacturing of variety of materials including ultrahigh-temperature ceramics, high-entropy ceramics, and thermoelectric. However, the thermodynamics and kinetics of the chemical reactions occurring during RSPS are not well understood. The goals of the present work are as follows: (i) to provide the fundamental definitions of chemistry related parameters of RSPS; (ii) to analyse the thermodynamics and kinetics of the RSPS processes; (iii) to emphases the influence of the microstructure of the consolidated media on the chemistry of RSPS; (iv) briefly overview recent publications on RSPS of ceramics. The recommendations for future work in the field of RSPS are also discussed.

Biography

Mukasyan Alexander, Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN USA since 1996. Ph.D. in physics and math (1986) Institute of Chemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences; Sci. Dc. (1994) Institute of Structural Macrokinetics, Russian Academy of Sciences. Co-author of 5 books and 1 text-book, 33 Chapters in books and invited reviews, more than 300 research publications in archive journals and 36 patents, including 14 US patents in the fields of engineering of advanced materials. The main scientific interest relates to nanotechnology, high energy density materials, joining of refractory and dissimilar materials, as well as catalysis. The most cited publications: Combustion synthesis and nanomaterials, Current Opinion in Solid State and Materials Science 12 (3-4), 44-50, 2008; Solution combustion synthesis of nanoscale materials, Chemical Reviews 116 (23), 14493-14586, 2016; Combustion for Material Synthesis, CRS Press, Taylor and Francis, London, New York, 2015, 398pp.