<p>Flash sintering was first demonstrated in 2010, where a ceramic green body was rapidly densified within seconds by applying an electric field during the heating process. The ultra-fast densification can occur as current abruptly flows through the material and self-heats by Joule heating. This process has potentials for large energy savings due to the reduction in furnace temperatures and shortened sintering time compared to conventional sintering. In addition, the ultra-high heating and cooling rates, along with the impact of electric field and current leads to the formation of unique non-equilibrium features in ceramics, which could greatly enhance their properties. Despite the potential of flash sintering, there are many challenges in moving this technique towards practical applications, such as the microstructure inhomogeneity and lack of understanding of the defects characteristics.</p> <p>In this dissertation, flash sintering was performed on ZnO to investigate the influence of various electrical conditions on the microstructure and defects. Detailed characterization was performed on flash sintered ZnO with and without a controlled current ramp, and contrasting types of current (DC and AC). These parameters show significant impact on the gradient microstructure and defects, and provide a way to tailor the desired characteristics for a wide range of applications. On the other hand, flash sintering of ZnO performed with a high electric field and low current density resulted in the growth of nanostructures. These nanostructures are unique compared to other growth techniques as they contain high density basal-plane stacking faults, and exhibit ultraviolet excitonic emission and red emission at room temperature. The nanostructure growth mechanism was investigated by varying the current density limit and revealed the formation of liquid phases which allowed growth by the vapor-liquid-solid mechanism. These findings present a new exciting route for flash sintering to produce highly defective nanostructures for device applications with new functionalities.</p>

Récemment, les recherches scientifiques ont attiré son attention sur les domaines liés à l'énergie en raison de la consommation croissante d'énergie qui a affecté les dernières décennies. Les matériaux magnétiques sont déterminants dans les applications basées sur l'énergie et l'amélioration de leurs performances joue un rôle primordial dans le développement technologique. Le présent travail explore la possibilité de préparer des composites céramiques magnétiques hétéro-nano-structurés à base de constituants d'oxydes. Un oxyde ferromagnétique (F) a été couplé à un antiferromagnétique (AF) à l'échelle nanométrique pour étudier les propriétés magnétiques résultantes, en accordant une importance primordiale au couplage d'échange entre les deux phases. L’établissement de l’effet de biais d’échange à l’interface des phases F-AF est souhaitable pour augmenter l’anisotropie magnéto-cristalline du système et le produit énergétique relatif BHmax. Dans ce but, deux oxydes F différents ont été pris en compte, le Fe3O4 et le CoFe2O4, et trois oxydes différents de la AF, CoO, NiO et l'hématite α-Fe2O3. Des nanoparticules d'oxyde de chaque composant ont été préparées par synthèse de polyol, avec une bonne qualité cristalline et une morphologie uniforme. Ils ont ensuite été utilisés pour préparer des échantillons de céramique de consolidation par la technique SPS. Pour chaque échantillon, un oxyde F a été mélangé à l'un des oxydes AF. Les céramiques résultantes ont été formées selon différents rapports de masse F / AF, variant entre 0,75 / 0,25, 0,5 / 0,5 et 0,25 / 0,75, et selon différentes combinaisons entre les oxydes F et AF considérés. Tous les échantillons ont été frittés à 500 ° C et 100 MPa pendant 5 minutes. Toutes les céramiques ont été étudiées en profondeur, notamment en ce qui concerne leur structure, leur microstructure et leurs propriétés magnétiques. L’analyse HR-TEM réalisée sur des lames raffinées de céramiques Fe3O4-CoO, Fe3O4-NiO et CoFe2O4-NiO, ainsi que des résultats de diffraction XR, a mis en évidence une importante variation de la composition des échantillons après frittage. Une nouvelle phase métallique est formée après frittage dans l'atmosphère fortement réductrice au cours du processus SPS, modifiant ainsi la composition relative des phases F et AF individuelles. L’établissement d’effets de biais d’échange n’a guère été observé à cause de la diffusion des atomes qui affecte l’échantillon. En effet, les nanoparticules AF d'hématite se sont révélées instables dans une large plage de températures et donc inappropriées pour ce type d'application. En particulier, une transformation de phase se produisant à environ 380 ° C a été observée lorsqu'un champ magnétique externe est appliqué. Une telle transition a été étudiée au moyen d’une caractérisation par magnétomètre, d’une analyse HR-TEM et d’une analyse EELS et a révélé qu’elle impliquait la transformation de l’hématite en magnétite. Le mécanisme de cette transformation n’a pas encore été compris et fait l’objet d’une enquête plus approfondie. / Recently the scientific research led its attention towards energy related fields because of the increasing energy consumption that affected the last few decades. Magnetic materials are determining in energy-based applications and the enhancement of their performances has a primary role on the technological development. The present work explores the possibility to prepare hetero-nano-structured magnetic ceramic composites based on oxide constituents. A ferromagnetic oxide (F) was coupled with an antiferromagnetic one (AF) at a nanometric size scale to study the resulting magnetic properties, above all concerting the exchange coupling between the two different phases. The establishing of the exchange-bias effect at the F-AF phases interface is desirable in order to increase the magneto-crystalline anisotropy of the system and the relative energy product BHmax. At this aim, two different F oxides were took into account, the Fe3O4 and the CoFe2O4, and three different AF oxides, CoO, NiO and hematite α-Fe2O3. Oxide nanoparticles of each component were prepared by polyol synthesis, with a good crystalline quality and uniform morphology. They were then employed to prepare consolidate ceramic samples by SPS technique. For each sample, one F oxide was mixed with one of the AF oxides. The resulting ceramics were formed by different F/AF mass ratio, varying between 0,75/0,25, 0,5/0,5 and 0,25/0,75, and by different combinations between the considered F and AF oxides. All the samples were sintered at 500°C and 100 MPa for 5 minutes. All the ceramics were deeply studied, above all concerning their structure, microstructure and magnetic properties. HR-TEM analysis performed on FIB-refined slides of the Fe3O4-CoO, Fe3O4-NiO and CoFe2O4-NiO ceramic samples, together with XRD results, highlighted an important variation of samples’ composition after sintering. A new metallic phase is formed after sintering cause to the strongly reductive atmosphere during the SPS process, thus modifying the relative composition of the single F and AF phases too. The establishing of exchange-bias effects was hardly observed exactly because of the atoms diffusion that affects the sample. The hematite AF nanoparticles, indeed, were found to be unstable in a wide temperature range and thus unsuitable for this kind of application. In particular, a phase transformation occurring at about 380°C was observed when an external magnetic field is applied. Such a transition was studied by mean of magnetometer characterisation, HR-TEM and EELS analysis and was found to involve hematite transforming into magnetite. The mechanism of such transformation hasn’t been understood yet and is under further investigation

Foram efetuados experimentos de sinterização em cerâmica policristalina de ZrO2: 3 mol% Y2O3 (3YSZ) por três métodos: aquecimento seguindo o perfil temperatura ambiente 1400 °C temperatura ambiente (sinterização convencional), aquecimento a partir da temperatura ambiente até 1000-1100 °C sob aplicação de campo elétrico AC (sinterização dinâmica assistida por campo elétrico), e aquecimento até 1000-1100 °C para aplicação do campo elétrico AC (sinterização isotérmica assistida por campo elétrico). O último método foi aplicado em amostras sob diferentes condições (amostras a verde, amostras a verde compactadas isostaticamente com diferentes pressões, amostras pré-sinterizadas a 1400 °C) e diferentes condições experimentais (diferentes frequências do campo elétrico AC, campo elétrico DC, diferentes limites de densidade de corrente, aplicação de carga simultaneamente à aplicação do campo elétrico). Todas as amostras de 3YSZ sinterizadas, além de terem a densidade aparente determinada, tiveram a superfície observada em microscópio eletrônico de varredura para avaliação do tamanho médio de grão e distribuição do tamanho de grão (em alguns casos, ao longo da superfície, do centro para a borda). Além disso, análises de espectroscopia de impedância foram feitas para avaliar a contribuição intergranular (principalmente contorno de grão) e intragranular (grãos) para a resistividade elétrica. A ideia principal foi coletar dados sobre sinterização assistida por campo elétrico, procurando entender o mecanismo atuando no método de sinterização, conhecido por produzir peças cerâmicas densas em temperaturas menores do que as usadas em sinterização convencional, em tempos curtos, e com inibição do crescimento de grão. Os resultados principais mostram que: 1) o nível de retração depende da frequência do campo elétrico AC, 2) quanto maior a porosidade, maior o efeito do campo elétrico, 3) quanto maior o valor da densidade de corrente, maior a densificação, até um determinado limite a partir do qual a amostra é danificada, 4) o pulso de corrente elétrica flui preferencialmente pela região intergranular, e 5) amostras submetidas a sinterização assistida por campo elétrico mostraram aumento da condutividade do contorno de grão. Um mecanismo para a sinterização assistida por campo elétrico é proposto, baseado em que 1) aquecimento Joule é o efeito principal, 2) a corrente elétrica, que surge como resultado da aplicação do campo elétrico, flui pela região intergranular, 3) o aquecimento Joule difunde as espécies químicas depletadas nas interfaces de volta aos grãos, aumentando a concentração de defeitos, levando ao aumento da condutividade do grão, e 4) o aquecimento Joule é responsável por diminuir a barreira potencial na região de carga espacial, inibindo o bloqueio dos íons de oxigênio nos contornos de grão. / Experiments on sintering ZrO2: 3 mol% Y2O3 polycrystalline ceramics (Y-TZP, hereafter 3YSZ) were carried out by three methods: heating following the room temperature-1400°C-room temperature profile (conventional sintering), heating from room temperature to 1000-1100°C under an applied AC electric field (dynamic electric field-assisted sintering), and heating to 1000-1100°C for application of an AC electric field (isothermal electric field-assisted sintering). The last method was performed under different specimen conditions (green pellets, green pellets isostatically pressed with different loads, pellets pre-sintered at 1400°C) and different experimental conditions (different frequencies of the AC electric field, DC electric fields, different limitation of the electric current densities, applying loads simultaneously to application of the electric field). All 3YSZ sintered samples, besides having their apparent densities determined, had their surfaces observed in a scanning electron microscope to evaluate average grain size and distribution of grain sizes (some, along the surface from the center to the border). Moreover, impedance spectroscopy analyses were carried out to evaluate the intergranular (mainly grain boundary) and intragranular (bulk) contributions to the electrical resistivity. The primary idea was to collect data on electric field-assisted sintering looking for understanding the mechanisms behind that sintering method, known to produce dense ceramic pieces at temperatures lower than those used in conventional sintering, in short times and inhibiting grain growth. The main results show that 1) the shrinkage level depends on the AC frequency, 2) the larger the porosity the higher the electric field effect, 3) higher current densities promotes higher densification up to a limit that could damage the sample, 4) the electric current pulse follows preferentially the intergranular instead of the bulk pathway, and 5) electric field-assisted sintered specimens show enhanced grain boundary conductivity. A mechanism for the electric field-assisted sintering is proposed based on that 1) Joule heating is the primary event, 2) the electric current, as a result of the electric field, follows the intergranular pathway, 3) Joule heating diffuses chemical species depleted at the interfaces back to the bulk, increasing the defect concentration, leading to the enhancement of the bulk conductivity, and 4) that same Joule heating is responsible for the decrease of the potential barrier at the space charge region, inhibiting the blocking of oxide ions at the grain boundaries.

Foram efetuados experimentos de sinterização em cerâmica policristalina de ZrO2: 3 mol% Y2O3 (3YSZ) por três métodos: aquecimento seguindo o perfil temperatura ambiente 1400 °C temperatura ambiente (sinterização convencional), aquecimento a partir da temperatura ambiente até 1000-1100 °C sob aplicação de campo elétrico AC (sinterização dinâmica assistida por campo elétrico), e aquecimento até 1000-1100 °C para aplicação do campo elétrico AC (sinterização isotérmica assistida por campo elétrico). O último método foi aplicado em amostras sob diferentes condições (amostras a verde, amostras a verde compactadas isostaticamente com diferentes pressões, amostras pré-sinterizadas a 1400 °C) e diferentes condições experimentais (diferentes frequências do campo elétrico AC, campo elétrico DC, diferentes limites de densidade de corrente, aplicação de carga simultaneamente à aplicação do campo elétrico). Todas as amostras de 3YSZ sinterizadas, além de terem a densidade aparente determinada, tiveram a superfície observada em microscópio eletrônico de varredura para avaliação do tamanho médio de grão e distribuição do tamanho de grão (em alguns casos, ao longo da superfície, do centro para a borda). Além disso, análises de espectroscopia de impedância foram feitas para avaliar a contribuição intergranular (principalmente contorno de grão) e intragranular (grãos) para a resistividade elétrica. A ideia principal foi coletar dados sobre sinterização assistida por campo elétrico, procurando entender o mecanismo atuando no método de sinterização, conhecido por produzir peças cerâmicas densas em temperaturas menores do que as usadas em sinterização convencional, em tempos curtos, e com inibição do crescimento de grão. Os resultados principais mostram que: 1) o nível de retração depende da frequência do campo elétrico AC, 2) quanto maior a porosidade, maior o efeito do campo elétrico, 3) quanto maior o valor da densidade de corrente, maior a densificação, até um determinado limite a partir do qual a amostra é danificada, 4) o pulso de corrente elétrica flui preferencialmente pela região intergranular, e 5) amostras submetidas a sinterização assistida por campo elétrico mostraram aumento da condutividade do contorno de grão. Um mecanismo para a sinterização assistida por campo elétrico é proposto, baseado em que 1) aquecimento Joule é o efeito principal, 2) a corrente elétrica, que surge como resultado da aplicação do campo elétrico, flui pela região intergranular, 3) o aquecimento Joule difunde as espécies químicas depletadas nas interfaces de volta aos grãos, aumentando a concentração de defeitos, levando ao aumento da condutividade do grão, e 4) o aquecimento Joule é responsável por diminuir a barreira potencial na região de carga espacial, inibindo o bloqueio dos íons de oxigênio nos contornos de grão. / Experiments on sintering ZrO2: 3 mol% Y2O3 polycrystalline ceramics (Y-TZP, hereafter 3YSZ) were carried out by three methods: heating following the room temperature-1400°C-room temperature profile (conventional sintering), heating from room temperature to 1000-1100°C under an applied AC electric field (dynamic electric field-assisted sintering), and heating to 1000-1100°C for application of an AC electric field (isothermal electric field-assisted sintering). The last method was performed under different specimen conditions (green pellets, green pellets isostatically pressed with different loads, pellets pre-sintered at 1400°C) and different experimental conditions (different frequencies of the AC electric field, DC electric fields, different limitation of the electric current densities, applying loads simultaneously to application of the electric field). All 3YSZ sintered samples, besides having their apparent densities determined, had their surfaces observed in a scanning electron microscope to evaluate average grain size and distribution of grain sizes (some, along the surface from the center to the border). Moreover, impedance spectroscopy analyses were carried out to evaluate the intergranular (mainly grain boundary) and intragranular (bulk) contributions to the electrical resistivity. The primary idea was to collect data on electric field-assisted sintering looking for understanding the mechanisms behind that sintering method, known to produce dense ceramic pieces at temperatures lower than those used in conventional sintering, in short times and inhibiting grain growth. The main results show that 1) the shrinkage level depends on the AC frequency, 2) the larger the porosity the higher the electric field effect, 3) higher current densities promotes higher densification up to a limit that could damage the sample, 4) the electric current pulse follows preferentially the intergranular instead of the bulk pathway, and 5) electric field-assisted sintered specimens show enhanced grain boundary conductivity. A mechanism for the electric field-assisted sintering is proposed based on that 1) Joule heating is the primary event, 2) the electric current, as a result of the electric field, follows the intergranular pathway, 3) Joule heating diffuses chemical species depleted at the interfaces back to the bulk, increasing the defect concentration, leading to the enhancement of the bulk conductivity, and 4) that same Joule heating is responsible for the decrease of the potential barrier at the space charge region, inhibiting the blocking of oxide ions at the grain boundaries.

A new manufacturing paradigm may lower the cost and environmental impact of existing products, as well as enable completely new products. Large scale, roll-to-roll manufacturing of flexible electronics and other functionality has great potential. However, a commercial breakthrough depends on a lower consumption of materials and energy compared with competing alternatives, and that sufficiently high performance and reliability of the products can be maintained. The substrate constitutes a large part of the product, and therefore its cost and environmental sustainability are important. Electrically conducting thin films are required in many functional devices and applications. In demanding applications, metal films offer the highest conductivity.   In this thesis, paper substrates of various type and construction were characterized, and the characteristics were related to the performance of inkjet-printed metal patterns. Fast absorption of the ink carrier was beneficial for well-defined pattern geometry, as well as high conductivity. Surface roughness with topography variations of sufficiently large amplitude and frequency, was detrimental to the pattern definition and conductivity. Porosity was another important factor, where the characteristic pore size was much more important than the total pore volume. Apparent surface energy was important for non-absorbing substrates, but of limited importance for coatings with a high absorption rate. Applying thin polymer–based coatings on flexible non-porous films to provide a mechanism for ink solvent removal, improved the pattern definition significantly. Inkjet-printing of a ZnO-dispersion on uncoated paper provided a thin spot-coating, allowing conductivity of silver nanoparticle films. Conductive nanoparticle films could not form directly on the uncoated paper.   The resulting performance of printed metal patterns was highly dependent on a well adapted sintering methodology. Several sintering methods were examined in this thesis, including conventional oven sintering, electrical sintering, microwave sintering, chemical sintering and intense pulsed light sintering. Specially designed coated papers with modified chemical and physical properties, were utilized for chemical low-temperature sintering of silver nanoparticle inks. For intense pulsed light sintering and material conversion of patterns, custom equipment was designed and built. Using the equipment, inkjet-printed copper oxide patterns were processed into highly conducting copper patterns. Custom-designed papers with mesoporous coatings and porous precoatings improved the reliablility and performance of the reduction and sintering process.         The thesis aims to clarify how ink-substrate interactions and sintering methodology affect the performance and reliability of inkjet-printed nanoparticle patterns on flexible substrates. This improves the selection, adaptation, design and manufacturing of suitable substrates for inkjet-printed high conductivity patterns, such as circuit boards or RFID antennas.

Le matériau La_2 Mo_1,5 W_0,5 O_9 (LMW05) est un conducteur ionique de la famille LAMOX qui a récemment connu un grand potentiel en tant qu’électrolyte solide dans des systèmes électrochimiques haute température. L’objectif de cette thèse est double : d’une part, étudier les effets de certains paramètres microstructuraux, essentiellement la porosité, sur les propriétés électriques des échantillons céramiques de LMW05 et, d’autre part, appliquer le procédé de frittage flash pour la préparation d’échantillons denses.Les échantillons poreux ont été préparés par frittage à des températures comprises entre 750 °C et 1100 °C. La spectroscopie d’impédance complexe a été systématiquement utilisée pour évaluer l’influence de la porosité sur les propriétés électriques de LMW05. La réponse électrique, observée à haute fréquence (HF) sur les diagrammes d’impédance, est très affectée par la porosité. Elle dépend de la morphologie et de la localisation des pores. Les théories du milieu effectif ont été employées pour l’interprétation des résultats obtenus. L’approximation de Bruggeman s’est révélée la plus appropriée pour décrire la réponse électrique haute fréquence pour 0 < P ≤ 22%. En comparaison avec des céramiques de type YSZ, les échantillons poreux de LMW05 présentent une faible valeur du facteur de blocage α_R. Cette dernière est, en fait, liée à la morphologie des pores qui sont de forme sphérique et de grande taille. La mise en contact de deux pastilles denses a permis de simuler le contact entre deux grains de LMW05.Le procédé de frittage flash a été testé avec succès pour la préparation des échantillons de LMW05. Une attention particulière a été portée à l’optimisation des conditions de déclenchement du flash de courant. Nous avons montré que les échantillons frittés de LMW05 présentent le même comportement électrique indépendamment du procédé de frittage employé. / The La_2 Mo_1,5 W_0,5 O_9 (LMW05) material is an ionic conductor of the LAMOX family which has recently shown a great potential as a solid electrolyte in high temperature electrochemical systems. The aim of this thesis is double: firstly, to study the effects of certain microstructural parameters, essentially the porosity, on the electrical response of LMW05 ceramic samples and, on the other hand, to apply the flash sintering process for the preparation of dense samples. Porous samples were obtained by varying the sintering temperature in the range of 750 to 1100 °C. Complex impedance spectroscopy was systematically used to evaluate the effect of porosity on the electrical response of LMW05. The electrical response, observed at high frequency (HF) on the impedance diagrams, is greatly affected by the porosity. It depends on the morphology and the location of pores. Effective medium theories were used for the interpretation of obtained results. The Bruggeman approximation proved to be better suited to describe the high frequency electrical response for 0 < P ≤ 22%. Compared with YSZ-type ceramics, the porous LMW05 was found to have a low blocking factor α_R. This low value is related to the morphology of the pores which are spherical in shape and large in size. The contacting of two dense pellets allowed us to simulate the contact between two grains of LMW05.The flash sintering process has been successfully tested for the preparation of LMW05 samples. Particular attention is paid to optimizing the conditions of the flash sintering onset. We have shown that the sintered LMW05 samples exhibit the same electrical behavior independently to the employed sintering process.

La technique de frittage flash (communément appelée Spark Plasma Sintering, SPS) suscite un engouement au niveau mondial. Ce procédé permet la densification de poudres à des vitesses généralement 10 à 100 fois plus élevées que celles des techniques de frittage traditionnelles. Il permet la synthèse de matériaux massifs innovants et originaux, à microstructures contrôlées, de formes complexes et de grandes dimensions. Cependant, la maîtrise du changement d’échelle et de l’homogénéité microstructurale des pièces obtenues par ce procédé nécessite une parfaite connaissance technique des équipements de frittage flash pour limiter notamment les gradients thermiques. La modélisation est une aide précieuse pour aboutir à l’amélioration de cette maîtrise. Une autre potentialité de cette technologie, l’assemblage de métaux, sans apport de matière, permet de répondre à des sollicitations industrielles pour lesquelles cette technique offre une solution alternative intéressante aux procédés d’assemblage actuels. Des aspects technologiques restent, toutefois, à maîtriser pour aller vers la réalisation d’assemblages de bonne qualité. / The flash sintering technique (commonly known as spark plasma sintering, SPS) generates a craze worldwide. This process allows a powder densification from speeds generally 10 to 100 times higher than those of the traditional sintering techniques. In addition, this allows the synthesis of innovative and original dense materials, with a controlled microstructure, complex shapes and, sometimes large sizes. However, the control of scaling and microstructure homogeneity of parts obtained by such a process requires a perfect knowledge of technical equipment including flash sintering to reduce thermal gradients. Modeling is a valuable aid to achieve the improvement of its control. Another potentiality of this technology, the welding of metal without matter, throught industrial demands offers an attractive alternative method to classical welding methods. Technological aspects remain, however, to master to go towards achieving good multi-materials.

Binderless tungsten carbide (BTC) ceramics are inherently difficult to process and very brittle. Most consolidation techniques for processing pure WC powder require long sintering times and intense energy consumption. High-T pressureless and pressure-assisted sintering processes often lead to low-quality and coarsened microstructures, thus limiting the use of WC ceramics to few niche applications. Field-assisted sintering techniques (FAST), like spark plasma sintering (SPS), significantly improve the densification of fine and ultrafine WC powders. However, SPS requires high current outputs and expensive apparatus. SPS ceramics still lack adequate toughness to extend the use of BTC components in heavy-duty applications requiring reliable load-bearing capability and/or resistance against rapid and unexpected impacts or temperature drops. This research work explored a new consolidation route capable of boosting the mass transport phenomena (accelerated sintering) and, simultaneously, introducing new microstructural features. The process called flash sintering (FS) offers great potential in accelerating diffusion phenomena and altering the crystallographic and/or the defect chemistry of the sintered ceramics. Many scientific studies reported structural alterations, enhanced plastic flow and material softening by introducing “out-of-equilibrium” characteristics. Currently, FS technology requires, for its activation, a negative dependence of the electrical resistivity with temperature (NTC) of the material to be sintered. This is a universal requirement for the flash event to occur thus theoretically inhibiting the flash sintering of conductive materials with a positive temperature coefficient for resistivity (PTC), like metals or WC. In the present work, we reported how during electrical resistance sintering (ERS) experiments conducted on pure WC nanopowders, a flash event was triggered during the first seconds of the process. This was demonstrated to occur thanks to the different evolution of the electrical properties of a granular compact with temperature. WC powders possess an initial NTC behaviour which can activate a transitory thermal runaway phenomenon which makes the activation of a flash event in these materials possible, intense enough to allow ultrafast densification in less than 10 s. This breakthrough allows to verify whether and how the flash event modifies the final sintered material. FS and SPS sintered ceramics were compared in their microstructural, physical and mechanical properties, thus pointing out how some peculiar modifications are exclusively present in the flash-sintered material. FS can stabilize the WC1-x metastable phase after cooling to room temperature, and this was demonstrated to alter the high-temperature deformation of WC micropillars during compression. In addition, FS BTC are inherently softer with respect to SPS ones, resulting in higher fracture toughness and slightly lower hardness. Even if not final, the results indicate how the flash sintering of WC can be explored further to process engineered BTC ceramics with an optimized hardness/toughness ratio and an enhanced deformability.

Tato doktorská práce se zabývala mikrostrukturálním vývojem vybraných oxidových keramických materiálů během konvenčního slinování (CS), rychlého slinování (RRS), flash slinování (FS) a slinování pomocí plazmatu (SPS). S ohledem na keramiku pro strukturální aplikace byly pomocí RRS připraveny relativně velké (1 cm3), bez defektní a téměř hutné pelety oxidu hlinitého a yttriem stabilizovaného oxidu zirkoničitého (YSZ) s homogenní mikrostrukturou. RRS bylo také shledáno jako optimální metoda pro přípravu vysoce hutné bezolovnaté piezoelektrické keramiky s podobnými vlastnostmi, jako byly získány po časově a energeticky náročnějším CS. Metoda SPS dále zlepšila vlastnosti bezolovnaté piezoelektrické keramiky a produkovala plně hutné vzorky, což je dobrým předpokladem pro translucenci a z níž vyplývajícím optoelektrickým vlastnostem. Nejoptimálnějších výsledků – plné hustoty a vysokých piezoelektrických vlastností – bylo dosaženo kombinací SPS a RRS. Analýzy provedené v této studii také poukázaly na důležitost eliminace těkavých nečistot před rychlým ohřevem. Jinak totiž dochází k zachycení těchto látek ve slinuté keramice, což ve výsledku limituje její konečnou hustotu. Ukázalo se, že nízké konečné hustoty RRS YSZ jsou spojeny se zachycením zbytkového chloru pocházejícího ze syntézy prášku. Pokud byl zbytkový chlor odstraněn vysokoteplotním žíháním keramických kompaktů před zahájením RRS, byly touto metodou získány téměř plně hutné YZS vzorky. Negativní vliv zbytkového chloru na zhutnění byl viditelný také u flash slinovaných YSZ vzorků. Navíc FS YSZ často vede ke zrychlení růstu zrn v jádře vzorku, v důsledku vyšší teploty a elektrochemické redukce. Ve spektru procesních parametrů použitých v rámci této práce dokonce došlo k abnormálnímu růstu zrna (AGG). Silně bimodální distribuce velikosti zrn ukázaná v této práci nebyla dříve nalezena u flash slinutého YSZ. AGG byl vysvětlen dvěma přispívajícími faktory – relativně velkou velikostí vzorku, která vedla k lokalizaci elektrického proudu a vzniku horkých míst (z angl. hot-spots), a celkově akcelerovanou kinetikou růstu zrn v jádře vzorku způsobenou elektrochemickou redukcí.

L’étude a pour objectif l’amélioration de la fiabilité des assemblages électroniques à travers la mise en œuvre de drains composites aluminium/fibres de carbone. Le travail a consisté à 1) modéliser, par la méthode des éléments finis, l’influence des propriétés thermiques et mécaniques du matériau de semelle sur l’assemblage életronique ; 2) élaborer (par frittage sous charge uniaxiale, frittage flash et extrusion à chaud) des matériaux composites aluminium/fibres de carbone ; et 3) lier les microstructures observées aux paramètres des procédés d’élaboration ainsi qu’aux propriétés thermiques et mécaniques mesurées. / This study has been done in order to improve power electronic devices reliability using aluminium/carbon fibres composites. This work has consisted in 1) determining, using finite elements method, the thermal and mechanical influence of the electronic base plate material; 2) elaborating (using hot pressing, spark plasma sintering and hot extrusion) aluminium/carbon fibres composites; and 3) linking the microstructures observed to the elaboration parameters and to the thermomechanical properties measured.