SPARK PLASMA SINTERING AND STRUCTURAL PROPERTIES OF ZrB2 BASED CERAMICS: A REVIEW

Spark plasma sintering (SPS) is one of the most advanced techniques for consideration of highly refractory powders, and induced by applying uniaxial force and a pulsed direct current to execute quick sintering of powder or green compact. The direct pulse heating can generate very high heating and cooling rates, enhance diffusion mechanism and moreover, controlling the grain growth process. The basic phenomenal increase in the utilization of this technique in both industry and R&D sectors is to get the better structural properties in shorter processing time. In recent time, SPS technique is being increasingly used for consolidation of different materials like metals, cermet, ceramics, glass etc. ZrB2 based ultra high temperature ceramics is one of the most promising materials in the current advanced structural ceramic applications. This review focuses, on one hand, the basic concept, definition of spark plasma sintering and on the other deals with the effect of various additives, such as carbides, nitrides and disilicides, on the densification behaviour and structural properties of zirconium diboride-based composites.