Challenges of nanostructuring and functional properties for selected bulk materials obtained by reactive spark plasma sintering

Sintered bulks require new approaches for the control and improvement of their functional characteristics. Nanostructuring, synergy effects at interfaces in a composite, and technology specific features are essential in this regard. In this work, for a better understanding of challenges, complex relationships between materials and technology and different practical concepts such as "transferability", "composite within a composite", and "multilevel design", and "multifunctionality", a comparative analysis is proposed for very different nano structured materials such as La0.9Sr0.1Ga0.8Mg0.2O3-x x solid electrolyte, hard B4C-based materials, and doped MgB2 superconductors. Samples were obtained by reactive spark plasma sintering (SPS). SPS is reconfirmed as a powerful processing technique that generates high-density unique bulk materials impossible to fabricate by other methods. However, it is shown that SPS is not universal and its suitability should be carefully considered depending on materials and targeted applications. (C) 2014 The Japan Society of Applied Physics