Submitted by Maria Medeiros (maria.dilva1@ufcg.edu.br) on 2018-08-16T11:47:56Z No. of bitstreams: 1 FABIANA MEDEIROS DO NASCIMENTO SILVA - TESE (PPGEQ) 2017.pdf: 6622967 bytes, checksum: bfed827814b744a5e9e9e565d28f0682 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-16T11:47:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 FABIANA MEDEIROS DO NASCIMENTO SILVA - TESE (PPGEQ) 2017.pdf: 6622967 bytes, checksum: bfed827814b744a5e9e9e565d28f0682 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017 / Capes / O presente trabalho tem como objetivo geral sintetizar as membranas zeolíticas (Mordenita/α-alumina), utilizando os métodos de síntese hidrotérmica, crescimento secundário: dip-coating e transporte em fase vapor, para serem avaliadas no processo de separação emulsão óleo/água. Dentro deste contexto foram avaliados alguns parâmetros, destacando-se, a influência do tempo de cristalização na síntese da zeólita mordenita, a influência do precursor (sulfato de alumínio e gibsita) na síntese da membrana zeolítica, influência dos métodos de síntese das membranas zeolíticas e os testes de permeação de água e o processo de separação emulsão óleo/água. A síntese da zeólita mordenita foi realizada utilizando o método hidrotérmico a 170°C, com tempos de cristalização de 24, 36, 48, 72, 96 e 120 horas, a fim de avaliar a cristalinidade da zeólita, e selecionar o melhor tempo para a síntese das membranas zeolíticas. Os suportes cerâmicos α-alumina foram preparados a partir da decomposição dos precursores sulfato de alumínio a 1000°C e gibsita a 1200ºC por 2 horas, e conformados, compactados e sinterizados a 1300ºC por 2h, e então submetidos às técnicas de caracterização: Difratometria de raios X (DRX), Adsorção Física de Nitrogênio, Microscopia Eletrônica de Varredura (MEV), Espectroscopia de Fluorescência de raios X por Energia Dispersiva (FRX-ED) e Termogravimétrica/Térmica Diferencial (TG/DTA). As membranas zeolíticas foram sintetizadas pelos métodos de síntese hidrotérmica, crescimento secundário: dip-coating e transporte em fase vapor a 170°C por 72h e caracterizadas por DRX e MEV. Os suportes cerâmicos e as membranas zeolíticas foram avaliadas em testes de permeação de água e no sistema de separação emulsão óleo/água de um efluente sintético, utilizando um processo de separação por membrana (PSM). Os ensaios foram realizados nas condições de concentração inicial da emulsão 100 mg.L-1, temperatura de 25 °C e pressão de 2,5 bar, permitindo avaliar a permeabilidade e a seletividade a partir da variação da concentração do permeado em (mg.L-1) e da percentagem de rejeição ao óleo (%R). A partir dos resultados obtidos para a síntese dos materiais, pode-se observar a efetiva formação da zeólita mordenita em fase pura e cristalina. Os precursores foram decompostos de maneira satisfatória obtendo a fase α-alumina. A manutenção da fase α-alumina pós-produção dos suportes cerâmicos foi confirmada após caracterização. De acordo com os resultados exibidos pelas análises de DRX e MEV as membranas zeolíticas MZMOR/α-alumina apresentaram uma distribuição homogênea e uniforme dos cristais zeolíticos correspondentes à fase mordenita, sem a presença de impurezas, livres de defeitos e sem fissuras, confirmando a formação da estrutura da membrana zeolítica pelos três métodos de síntese, utilizados neste trabalho. A zeólita mordenita se mostrou excelente em relação à adesão e formação da camada zeolítica sobre o suporte cerâmico α-alumina. A partir da avaliação da permeabilidade e seletividade nos testes de separação da emulsão óleo/água, pode-se concluir que a inserção da zeólita mordenita aos suportes cerâmicos melhorou o processo de separação da emulsão óleo/água. Em termos de eficiência no processo de separação, considera-se que a membrana zeolítica MZMOR/α – Al2O3 (SHGB) foi a que apresentou melhor relação entre fluxo e capacidade seletiva, mostrando a eficácia da utilização das membranas zeolíticas. Todas as membranas zeolíticas sintetizadas e avaliadas mostraram-se promissoras. / The objective of the present work is to synthesize zeolite membranes (Mordenite/α-alumina) using hydrothermal synthesis, secondary growth: dip-coating and vapor-phase transport, to be evaluated in the oil/water emulsion separation process. The influence of the crystallization time on the synthesis of the mordenite zeolite, the influence of the precursor (aluminum sulphate and gibsite) on the synthesis of the zeolite membrane, influence of the synthesis methods of the zeolite membranes and the water permeation tests and the oil/water emulsion separation process. The synthesis of the mordenite zeolite was performed using the hydrothermal method at 170°C, with crystallization times of 24, 36, 48, 72, 96 and 120 hours, in order to evaluate the crystallinity of the zeolite, and to select the best time for the synthesis of zeolite membranes. The α-alumina ceramic supports were prepared from the decomposition of the aluminum sulfate precursors at 1000°C and gibsite at 1200°C for 2 hours, and conformed, compacted and sintered at 1300°C for 2h, and then submitted to the characterization techniques: (XRD), Nitrogen Physical Adsorption, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (FRX-ED) and Thermogravimetric/Differential Thermal (TG/DTA). The zeolite membranes were synthesized by hydrothermal synthesis, secondary growth: dip-coating and vapor-phase transport at 170°C for 72 hours and characterized by XRD and SEM. Ceramic supports and zeolite membranes were evaluated in water permeation tests and in the oil/water emulsion separation system of a synthetic effluent using a membrane separation process. The tests were carried out under the conditions of initial concentration of the emulsion 100 mg.L-1, temperature of 25°C and pressure of 2,5 bar, allowing to evaluate the permeability and the selectivity from the variation of the permeate concentration in (mg. L-1) and the percentage of oil rejection (% R). From the results obtained for the synthesis of the materials, it is possible to observe the effective formation of zeolite mordenite in pure and crystalline phase. The precursors were satisfactorily decomposed to give the α-alumina phase. The maintenance of the post-production α-alumina phase of the ceramic supports was confirmed after characterization. The MZMOR/α-alumina zeolite membranes presented a homogeneous and uniform distribution of the zeolite crystals corresponding to the mordenite phase, without the presence of impurities, free of defects and without cracks, confirming the formation of the structure of the zeolite membrane by the three methods of synthesis, used in this work. The mordenite zeolite showed excellent adhesion and formation of the zeolitic layer on the ceramic support α-alumina. From the evaluation of the permeability and selectivity in the oil/water emulsion separation tests, it can be concluded that the insertion of the mordenite zeolite to the ceramic supports improved the separation process of the oil/water emulsion. In terms of efficiency in the separation process, the zeolite membrane MZMOR/α-Al2O3(SHGB) was considered to have the best relationship between flow and selectivity, showing the efficacy of zeolite membranes. All zeolite membranes synthesized and evaluated were promising.

Thesis (M. Ing. (Chemical Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

<p>Ionic conductivity of metal oxides is critical for the function of a broad range of different components, such as electrolytes in solid oxide fuel cells and alloys designed for high temperature applications. In both cases the ionic conductivity can be studied by in situ impedance spectroscopy, which is also able to reveal information on the dielectric properties of the metal oxides, and in some cases the influence of their microstructure. The focus of this thesis is on impedance spectroscopy measurements of α-alumina in the temperature range 400-1000 °C. This metal oxide has found extensive use as the protective scale on heat resistant alloys. Some unpublished work on oxygen ion conductivity of yttria-stabilized zirconia is also included.</p><p>The low electrical conductivity of α-alumina can be a source for errors and misinterpretations during impedance spectroscopy measurements. A major disturbance originates from leakage currents that appear in the experimental setup. These leakage currents are due to conduction through the gas phase around the sample, conduction on the sample surface, or poor insulation in the sample holder. It was shown that below 700 °C, conduction on the sample surface could severely distort the measurement. The magnitude of the distortions appeared to be sensitive to the type of electrodes used. The use of a so-called guard electrode was shown to effectively block the surface conduction in the measurements.</p><p>Conductivity of metal oxides is known to be dependent on their microstructure. Generally it is believed that ionic conductivity is favoured along grain boundaries and dislocations. The influence of microstructure on conductivity was studied for α-alumina in the temperature range 400-1000 °C. The conductivity of a series of highly pure and dense samples with narrow grain size distributions was measured by impedance spectroscopy. It appeared that the activation energy for conduction increased with decreasing grain size.</p><p>Results based purely on impendence spectroscopy have some inherently weaknesses. For instance no information on the nature of the charge carrier can be found. Therefore the charge transport in single crystalline α-alumina was simulated by the molecular dynamics method. The results from the simulation were then compared to results from impedance measurements on single crystalline α-alumina. From the simulation it turned out that diffusion of aluminium ions had lower activation energy than diffusion of oxygen. The activation energy of oxygen was close to the measured activation energy, and the mobility of oxygen was higher than for aluminium. Therefore the dominating charge carrier was suggested to be oxygen ions.</p>

In this study, the feasibility of a NaA zeolite membrane for the gas phase separation of steam and hydrogen mixtures was determined. The Fischer-Tropsch (FT) process, which produces high value fuels and chemicals from coal and natural gas, can be greatly improved upon by the selective removal of water from the FT reactor product stream. According to the FT reaction kinetics, the rate of reaction increases with the partial pressure of hydrogen but is adversely affected the presence of water in the reactor product stream. Chemisorbed water on the surface of the metal catalysts also enhances deactivation due to sintering and fouling. The use of a zeolite membrane reactor is well equipped to serve the purpose of in-situ water removal as it can facilitate the separation of chemical components from one another in the presence of catalytic reactions. The LTA type zeolite membrane NaA or zeolite 4A, in particular, is well suited for the separation of polar (H2O) from non-polar (H2) molecules because of its high hydrophilicity. NaA has also been identified as an excellent candidate for selective water removal applications due its high adsorption affinity and capacity for water. The NaA membrane used in this study was manufactured by means of the in-situ crystallisation method where the growth of crystals on the inside surface of a centrifugally casted a-alumina support was favoured. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses performed on the membrane after a double hydrothermal synthesis indicated that the surface topology was rough and that the zeolite crystals formed were not uniform in size. Overall, the membrane thickness varied between 6.5 and 8.0 flm. An evaluation of the membrane quality was made possible through permeation experiments involving SF6 and Hz. The calculated Hz/SF6 permselectivity in this study was found to be 9.78, which despite being higher than the Knudsen diffusion selectivity of 8.54, confirmed the presence of intercrystalline defects or non-zeolitic pores in the membrane. Experiments concerning pure component and binary mixture permeation of steam and hydrogen through the supported NaA membrane were conducted over a temperature range of 115°C to 160 °c for binary hydrogen/steam mixtures, 25°C to 160°C for pure hydrogen and 130°C to 170°C for pure steam. For the permeation of pure component hydrogen, a local maximum in its permeance having a value of 224 x 10'°8 mol.m,z.s'!.Pa'! was reached at a system pressure and temperature of 6.875 bar and 75°C respectively. For the permeation of pure component steam through NaA, the effects of capillary condensation in the pores and defects of the zeolite membrane resulted in a decrease in steam permeance as a function of absolute pressure for temperatures lower than 160 °c. Once the effects of capillary condensation had receded, maxima in the steam permeances as a function of temperature corresponding to values of 70 x 10,08, 65 X 10,08 and 75 x 10,08 mol.m•2.s'I.Pa'l were found for the 182.5, 197.5 and 222.5 kPa isobars respectively. These observations collaborated well with the description of surface diffusion with permeation taking place in the Langmuir (strong adsorption) regime. Permeation experiments through NaA as function of temperature were conducted for a 90 mol% steam -10 mol% hydrogen (90-10) binary mixture as well as for a 60-40 mixture of these two. At low temperatures the permeation of hydrogen was completely suppressed by the condensed steam resulting in an almost perfect separation. The Kelvin equation was used to estimate the pore size of the defects which was found to range between 1.86 and 2.45 nm. The temperature range over which these defects in the membrane were assumed to become unblocked (i.e. assuming when the first breakthrough of hydrogen occurred), were determined to be between 140 to 148 °c and between 128 to 130 °c for the 90-10 and 60-40 mixtures respectively. The mixture selectivities (towards water) between 115 °c and 130 °c were found to be immensely high (much greater than 1000) for both the 90-10 and 60-40 mixtures, while the ideal selectivities were calculated to be less than lover the same temperature range. At 140 °c, the selectivity towards water for the 9010 mixture was still greater than 1000; however for the 60-40 mixture at this temperature, an inversion of selectivity towards H2 had already taken place. The breakthrough in H2 permeance occurs at a much lower temperature when the feed mixture contains a lower concentration of water. Since the partial pressure of steam will be reduced, larger pores will become unblocked at lower temperatures according to the Kelvin equation. / Thesis (M. Ing. (Chemical Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

In this study, the feasibility of a NaA zeolite membrane for the gas phase separation of steam and hydrogen mixtures was determined. The Fischer-Tropsch (FT) process, which produces high value fuels and chemicals from coal and natural gas, can be greatly improved upon by the selective removal of water from the FT reactor product stream. According to the FT reaction kinetics, the rate of reaction increases with the partial pressure of hydrogen but is adversely affected the presence of water in the reactor product stream. Chemisorbed water on the surface of the metal catalysts also enhances deactivation due to sintering and fouling. The use of a zeolite membrane reactor is well equipped to serve the purpose of in-situ water removal as it can facilitate the separation of chemical components from one another in the presence of catalytic reactions. The LTA type zeolite membrane NaA or zeolite 4A, in particular, is well suited for the separation of polar (H2O) from non-polar (H2) molecules because of its high hydrophilicity. NaA has also been identified as an excellent candidate for selective water removal applications due its high adsorption affinity and capacity for water. The NaA membrane used in this study was manufactured by means of the in-situ crystallisation method where the growth of crystals on the inside surface of a centrifugally casted a-alumina support was favoured. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses performed on the membrane after a double hydrothermal synthesis indicated that the surface topology was rough and that the zeolite crystals formed were not uniform in size. Overall, the membrane thickness varied between 6.5 and 8.0 flm. An evaluation of the membrane quality was made possible through permeation experiments involving SF6 and Hz. The calculated Hz/SF6 permselectivity in this study was found to be 9.78, which despite being higher than the Knudsen diffusion selectivity of 8.54, confirmed the presence of intercrystalline defects or non-zeolitic pores in the membrane. Experiments concerning pure component and binary mixture permeation of steam and hydrogen through the supported NaA membrane were conducted over a temperature range of 115°C to 160 °c for binary hydrogen/steam mixtures, 25°C to 160°C for pure hydrogen and 130°C to 170°C for pure steam. For the permeation of pure component hydrogen, a local maximum in its permeance having a value of 224 x 10'°8 mol.m,z.s'!.Pa'! was reached at a system pressure and temperature of 6.875 bar and 75°C respectively. For the permeation of pure component steam through NaA, the effects of capillary condensation in the pores and defects of the zeolite membrane resulted in a decrease in steam permeance as a function of absolute pressure for temperatures lower than 160 °c. Once the effects of capillary condensation had receded, maxima in the steam permeances as a function of temperature corresponding to values of 70 x 10,08, 65 X 10,08 and 75 x 10,08 mol.m•2.s'I.Pa'l were found for the 182.5, 197.5 and 222.5 kPa isobars respectively. These observations collaborated well with the description of surface diffusion with permeation taking place in the Langmuir (strong adsorption) regime. Permeation experiments through NaA as function of temperature were conducted for a 90 mol% steam -10 mol% hydrogen (90-10) binary mixture as well as for a 60-40 mixture of these two. At low temperatures the permeation of hydrogen was completely suppressed by the condensed steam resulting in an almost perfect separation. The Kelvin equation was used to estimate the pore size of the defects which was found to range between 1.86 and 2.45 nm. The temperature range over which these defects in the membrane were assumed to become unblocked (i.e. assuming when the first breakthrough of hydrogen occurred), were determined to be between 140 to 148 °c and between 128 to 130 °c for the 90-10 and 60-40 mixtures respectively. The mixture selectivities (towards water) between 115 °c and 130 °c were found to be immensely high (much greater than 1000) for both the 90-10 and 60-40 mixtures, while the ideal selectivities were calculated to be less than lover the same temperature range. At 140 °c, the selectivity towards water for the 9010 mixture was still greater than 1000; however for the 60-40 mixture at this temperature, an inversion of selectivity towards H2 had already taken place. The breakthrough in H2 permeance occurs at a much lower temperature when the feed mixture contains a lower concentration of water. Since the partial pressure of steam will be reduced, larger pores will become unblocked at lower temperatures according to the Kelvin equation. / Thesis (M. Ing. (Chemical Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Submitted by Johnny Rodrigues (johnnyrodrigues@ufcg.edu.br) on 2018-03-23T18:44:54Z No. of bitstreams: 1 JANAINA RAFAELLA SCHEIBLER - DISSERTAÇÃO PPGEQ 2015..pdf: 2465420 bytes, checksum: cbecc726b67d3d76a334570b655735eb (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-03-23T18:44:54Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 JANAINA RAFAELLA SCHEIBLER - DISSERTAÇÃO PPGEQ 2015..pdf: 2465420 bytes, checksum: cbecc726b67d3d76a334570b655735eb (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015 / Entre as membranas inorgânicas microporosas, as membranas zeolíticas constituem uma tecnologia promissora, devido às suas potenciais aplicações normalmente na desidratação do álcool, separação de moléculas de gás, separação de isômeros ou em processos químicos, incluindo reações de esterificação. Sob este aspecto, torna-se imprescindível o estudo das rotas de preparação desses materiais, visando desenvolver produtos com qualidade e a baixo custo. Portanto, a inovação deste estudo se dá na síntese de membranas zeolíticas via método de síntese poreplugging visando a utilização das membranas inorgânicas para permeação gasosa de N2. Neste trabalho foram desenvolvidos os seguintes materiais: zeólita ZSM-5, membranas cerâmicas (γ-alumina e α-alumina) e as membranas zeolíticas (ZSM5/γ-alumina e ZSM-5/α-alumina). A zeólita ZSM-5 foi sintetizada por meio do método hidrotérmico. As membranas cerâmicas (γ-alumina e α-alumina) foram preparadas a partir da técnica de conformação de pós cerâmicos e posteriormente submetidas à sinterização a uma temperatura de 1000 ºC/1h e 1200 ºC/1h respectivamente. A preparação das membranas zeolíticas (ZSM-5/γ-alumina e ZSM-5/α-alumina) foi realizada com base no método pore in plugging. As amostras foram caracterizadas a partir das técnicas de difração de raios X e Microscopia Eletrônica de Varredura. Os resultados experimentais permitem diversas conclusões acerca do desenvolvimento dos materiais: zeólita ZSM-5, membranas cerâmicas (γ-alumina e α-alumina) e membranas zeolíticas (ZSM-5/γ-alumina e ZSM-5/α-alumina). A partir da difração de raios X, foi possível verificar que o método de síntese empregado, foi efetivo na obtenção da zeólita ZSM-5. O difratograma apresentou picos característicos de uma zeólita ZSM-5 quando comparada ao padrão. Os resultados obtidos por DRX para as membranas cerâmicas (γ-alumina e α-alumina) demonstraram a formação de picos característicos do óxido de alumínio, os materiais são cristalinos e puros. Para o método pore-plugging pode se dizer que é um método promissor, pois mostrou uma formação satisfatória da camada zeolítica no resultado do DRX de ambas as membranas zeolíticas (ZSM-5/γ-alumina e ZSM-5/α-alumina). / Among the microporous inorganic membranes, zeolite membranes are a promising technology due to their potential applications normally in alcohol dehydration, separation of gas molecules, separation of isomers or chemical processes, including esterification reactions. In this regard, it is essential to study the preparation of these materials routes in order to develop products with quality and low cost. Therefore, innovation of this study gives the synthesis of zeolite membranes via pore-plugging synthesis method aimed at the use of inorganic membranes for gas permeation N2. In this work the following materials were developed: ZSM-5 zeolite, ceramic membranes (γ-alumina and α-alumina) and zeolitic membranes (ZSM-5/γ-alumina and ZSM-5/α-alumina). Zeolite ZSM-5 was synthesized by the hydrothermal method. Ceramic membranes (γ-alumina and α-alumina) were prepared from the ceramic powder forming technique, and subsequently subjected to a sintering temperature of 1000 °C/1h and 1200 °C/1h respectively. The preparation of zeolite membranes (ZSM-5/γ-alumina and ZSM-5/α-alumina) was carried out based on the method in pore plugging. The samples were characterized from the techniques of X diffraction and scanning electron microscopy rays. The experimental results allow several conclusions about the development of materials: zeolite ZSM-5, ceramic membranes (γ-alumina and α-alumina) and zeolite membranes (ZSM-5/γ-alumina and ZSM-5/αalumina). From the X-ray diffraction, it found that the method of synthesis used was effective in obtaining the zeolite ZSM-5. The XRD pattern showed peaks characteristic of ZSM-5 compared to the standard. The results obtained by XRD ceramic membranes (γ-alumina and α-alumina) showed the formation of peaks characteristic of aluminum oxide, the materials are crystalline and pure. For the poreplugging method can be said to be a promising method because it showed a satisfactory formation of the zeolite layer on the result of XRD both zeolite membranes (ZSM-5/γ-alumina and ZSM-5/α-alumina).

Ionic conductivity of metal oxides is critical for the function of a broad range of different components, such as electrolytes in solid oxide fuel cells and alloys designed for high temperature applications. In both cases the ionic conductivity can be studied by in situ impedance spectroscopy, which is also able to reveal information on the dielectric properties of the metal oxides, and in some cases the influence of their microstructure. The focus of this thesis is on impedance spectroscopy measurements of α-alumina in the temperature range 400-1000 °C. This metal oxide has found extensive use as the protective scale on heat resistant alloys. Some unpublished work on oxygen ion conductivity of yttria-stabilized zirconia is also included. The low electrical conductivity of α-alumina can be a source for errors and misinterpretations during impedance spectroscopy measurements. A major disturbance originates from leakage currents that appear in the experimental setup. These leakage currents are due to conduction through the gas phase around the sample, conduction on the sample surface, or poor insulation in the sample holder. It was shown that below 700 °C, conduction on the sample surface could severely distort the measurement. The magnitude of the distortions appeared to be sensitive to the type of electrodes used. The use of a so-called guard electrode was shown to effectively block the surface conduction in the measurements. Conductivity of metal oxides is known to be dependent on their microstructure. Generally it is believed that ionic conductivity is favoured along grain boundaries and dislocations. The influence of microstructure on conductivity was studied for α-alumina in the temperature range 400-1000 °C. The conductivity of a series of highly pure and dense samples with narrow grain size distributions was measured by impedance spectroscopy. It appeared that the activation energy for conduction increased with decreasing grain size. Results based purely on impendence spectroscopy have some inherently weaknesses. For instance no information on the nature of the charge carrier can be found. Therefore the charge transport in single crystalline α-alumina was simulated by the molecular dynamics method. The results from the simulation were then compared to results from impedance measurements on single crystalline α-alumina. From the simulation it turned out that diffusion of aluminium ions had lower activation energy than diffusion of oxygen. The activation energy of oxygen was close to the measured activation energy, and the mobility of oxygen was higher than for aluminium. Therefore the dominating charge carrier was suggested to be oxygen ions.

This article combines a systematic literature review on the fabrication of macroporous α-Al2O3 with increased specific surface area with recent results from our group. Publications claiming the fabrication of α-Al2O3 with high specific surface areas (HSSA) are comprehensively assessed and critically reviewed. An account of all major routes towards HSSA α-Al2O3 is given, including hydrothermal methods, pore protection approaches, dopants, anodically oxidized alumina membranes, and sol-gel syntheses. Furthermore, limitations of these routes are disclosed, as thermodynamic calculations suggest that γ-Al2O3 may be the more stable alumina modification for ABET > 175 m2/g. In fact, the highest specific surface area unobjectionably reported to date for α-Al2O3 amounts to 16–24 m2/g and was attained via a sol-gel process. In a second part, we report on some of our own results, including a novel sol-gel synthesis, designated as mutual cross-hydrolysis. Besides, the Mn-assisted α-transition appears to be a promising approach for some alumina materials, whereas pore protection by carbon filling kinetically inhibits the formation of α-Al2O3 seeds. These experimental results are substantiated by attempts to theoretically calculate and predict the specific surface areas of both porous materials and nanopowders.

The densification mechanisms of polycrystalline α-alumina by spark plasma sintering are highly contradictory, with different research groups suggesting diffusion to dislocation controlled mechanisms to be rate controlling. The specific objective of this work was to investigate densification mechanisms of α-alumina during the intermediate and final stages of sintering by SPS, analyze the microstructural development and establish sintering trajectories. In addition, zirconia and yttria were added in different weight percentages to study the effect of solute concentration on the densification kinetics of spark plasma sintered alumina. The present work adopts a different approach from the classical method adopted previously to analyze the sintering kinetics and densification mechanisms of alumina in SPS, although existing models for hot pressing were adopted for the basic analysis. The densification behavior was investigated in the temperature range 1223-1573 K under applied stresses of 25, 50 and 100 MPa and grain sizes between 100 and 250 nm. The SEM micrographs reveal equiaxed grains with no abnormal grain growth in the dense samples. The ‘master sintering curve’ shows grain size to be primarily dependent on density, irrespective of the applied stresses or temperature. The stress exponent of 1 along with an inverse grain size exponent of 3 and activation energy of 320-550 kJ mol-1 suggests Al3+ grain boundary diffusion as the rate controlling densification mechanism in alumina. The densification rates are marginally slower in compositions with 0.1% Y2O3 and ZrO2 content possibly due to the smaller grain sizes used in this study which leads to faster rates compared to earlier reports. However, higher Y2O3 and ZrO2 content led to decrease in densification rate by more than an order of magnitude possibly due to presence of a second phase which increases the effective path length for diffusion, thereby reducing the densification rates. Presence of Y2O3 and ZrO2 in the compositions with 0.1% Y2O3 and ZrO2 were confirmed by TEM studies. The Y3Al5O12 (YAG) phase developed between 1223 and 1273 K and suppressed densification and grain growth in alumina. In spite of higher temperatures required for alumina-YAG and alumina-zirconia composites to attain density ~99%, the alumina grain size in the composites was smaller than that in pure alumina due to the Zener drag effect. The stress exponents obtained for Y2O3 and ZrO2 composites at both the concentrations yield a value of n~ 2, which indicates a change in densification mechanism from pure alumina. The higher stress dependence of these composites could be due to presence of solute and second phase formation, both of which retard densification rates. The inverse grain size exponents obtained are between 1 and 2; both stress exponent and grain size exponent values suggest an interface reaction controlled diffusion mechanism occurring in these composites, independent of the Y2O3 and ZrO2 content. Higher activation energies are obtained with the Y2O3 and ZrO2 composites of higher content, respectively, due to presence of second phase particles at grain boundaries. The presence of solutes at grain boundaries hinders grain boundary diffusion of alumina, leading to interface reaction controlled process; this is confirmed by superimposing standard aluminum grain boundary and lattice diffusion data on to stress-densification rate data obtained in this work. A comparison of stress exponents using current experimental data adopting the present and the classical approaches show a wide difference in their values indicating a change in the rate controlling diffusion path, necessitating a review of the assumptions made on the basic equations used in previous SPS studies.