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Microstructure of a granular amorphous silica ceramic synthesized by spark plasma sintering
Author(s) -
RÖDING M.,
DEL CASTILLO L.A.,
NYDÉN M.,
FOLLINK B.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of microscopy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.569
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1365-2818
pISSN - 0022-2720
DOI - 10.1111/jmi.12442
Subject(s) - spark plasma sintering , microstructure , materials science , amorphous solid , ceramic , sintering , granule (geology) , composite material , scanning electron microscope , dispersity , chemical engineering , nanotechnology , crystallography , chemistry , polymer chemistry , engineering
Summary We study the microstructure of a granular amorphous silica ceramic material synthesized by spark plasma sintering. Using monodisperse spherical silica particles as precursor, spark plasma sintering yields a dense granular material with distinct granule boundaries. We use selective etching to obtain nanoscopic pores along the granule borders. We interrogate this highly interesting material structure by combining scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray computed nanotomography and simulations based on random close packed spherical particles. We determine the degree of anisotropy caused by the uni‐axial force applied during sintering, and our analysis shows that our synthesis method provides a means to avoid significant granule growth and to fabricate a material with well‐controlled microstructure.