Diploma thesis occupy with preparation of porous material from magnesium powder with a HAp admixture by cold pressing followed by spark plasma sintering (SPS). This thesis contain both preparation of bulk material, diffusion plot and charakterization of materials based on the compaction process conditions. On the basis of physical mechanical characteristics, the impact of the pressing process on the subsequent sintering and the resulting material properties are evaluated. Bulk material is characterized considering to structure and physical–mechanical properties. Properties of final metarial will serve to optimize conditions for process of bulk material preparation.

Les packagings d’électronique embarquée sont actuellement en alliages d’aluminium. A partir d’une étude de sélection des matériaux, complétée par une simulation numérique thermique,nous avons démontré qu’un matériau composite constitué d’une matrice aluminium et de fibres de carbone à forte conductivité thermique, représente un fort potentiel de gain de masse sur ces équipements. Cependant, le couplage de ces deux matériaux génère des problèmes d’élaboration en raison d’incompatibilités fortes parmi lesquelles un mouillage très faible du carbone par l’aluminium liquide et une réactivité chimique élevée qui conduit à la formation de carbures d’aluminium préjudiciables pour le matériau final. Deux voies d’élaboration distinctes ont été envisagées : Une voie liquide où l’utilisation d’un agent de mouillage (un sel fluoré) a permis d’obtenir la montée par capillarité du métal dans des mèches de fibres. Une voie solide basée sur une technique originale d’empilements de feuillets d’aluminium et de fibres de carbone avec le procédé de Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS). .La seconde technique s’est révélée prometteuse en permettant d’obtenir des échantillons multicouches sans porosités, un endommagement très limité des fibres et une architecture contrôlée.Notre étude a montré que la formation de carbures d’aluminium est limitée. De plus, une meilleure compréhension du SPS ou l’application d’un revêtement sur les fibres devraient permettre d’éviter la formation de ces carbures. Les tentatives de caractérisations mécanique et thermique effectuées sur ces échantillons donnent un premier aperçu de l’efficacité du renforcement de l’aluminium par les fibres de carbone. / Embedded electronic packagings are currently made of aluminum. A first study – basedupon a material selection method completed by numerical analysis – showed that a metal matrixcomposite made of aluminum and highly thermal conductive continuous carbon fibers represents ahigh potential upon weight savings for those equipments. Though, coupling these componentsrepresents numerous challenges due to their incompatibility such as a really low wetting of carbonliquidaluminum system and its unavoidable chemical reactivity that leads to the formation ofaluminum carbides that are harmful for the final material. Two manufacturing routes were considered: A liquid route using a wetting agent (fluorinated salts) led the metal to rise alongcarbon fibers by capillarity. A solid route based upon a novel technique of aluminum foils and carbon fibersstacking using the Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) process.This second technique revealed to be very promising and allowed to obtain multilayer samples with noporosities, highly limited fiber damages and controlled composite architecture. Our study shows thataluminum carbides formation is limited. Moreover, a deeper comprehension of SPS process or thedeposit of fiber coatings would prevent this carbide formation. Attempts of mechanical and thermalcharacterization led upon such samples give a first overview of the efficiency of the aluminumreinforcement by carbon fibers.

Current fossil fuel based energy sources have a huge shortcoming when one discusses their efficiency. The conversion efficiency of fossil fuel-based technologies is less than 40% in best cases. Therefore, until the renewable energy section is mature enough to handle all the energy demand one has to research and develop the technologies available to harvest the energy from the waste heat generated in fossil fuel-based supply sources. One of these emerging technologies is the use of thermoelectric (TE) devices to achieve this goal, which are solid-state devices capable of directly interconverting between heat and electrical energy. In the past decade there has been a significant scientific and financial investment within the field to enhance their properties and result in time/energy efficient fabrication processes of TE materials and devices for a more sustainable environment. In this thesis with use of chemical synthesis routes for nanostructured bulk thermoelectric materials iron antimonide (FeSb2), skutterudites (based on general formula of RzMxCo1-xSb3-yNy) and copper selenide (Cu2Se) are developed. These materials are promising candidates for use in thermoelectric generators (TEG) or for sensing applications. Using chemical synthesis routes such as chemical co-precipitation, salt melting in marginal solvents and thermolysis, fabrication of these TE materials with good performance can be performed with high degree of reproducibility, in a much shorter time, and easily scalable manner for industrial processes. The TE figure of merit ZT of these materials is comparable to, or better than their conventional method counterparts to ensure the applicability of these processes in industrial scale. Finally, through thorough investigation, optimized consolidation parameters were generated for compaction of each family of materials using Spark Plasma Sintering technique (SPS). As each family of TE nanomaterial investigated in this thesis had little to no prior consolidation literature available, specific parameters had to be studied and generated. The aim of studies on compaction parameters were to focus on preservation of the nanostructured features of the powder while reaching a high compaction density to have positive effects on the materials TE figure of merit. / Dagens fossilbränslebaserade energikällor har en enorm brist gällande effektivitet. Effektiviteten av fossilbränslebaserade teknologiers omvandling är mindre än 40 % i bästa fall. Därför tills förnybar energi är mogen nog att hantera alla energibehov, måste man forska och utveckla teknik för att skörda energi från spillvärme i fossilbränslebaserade försörjningskällor. En av dessa nya tekniker är tillämpning av termoelektriska (TE) material för att uppnå målet. Nämnde material är Soldi-State materialer som kan transformera mellan värme och elektrisk energi. Under det senaste decenniet har det pågått en stor vetenskaplig och ekonomisk investering inom området för att förbättra termoelektriska materials egenskaper. Dessutom ville man ta fram tid/energieffektiva TE material och komponenter för en mer hållbar miljö. I denna avhandling utvecklades och producerades termoelektriska material såsom järn antimonid (FeSb2), skutterudit (baserat på allmänna formeln RzMxCo1-xSb3-YNY) och koppar selenid (Cu2Se) med hjälp av kemiska syntesmetoder. Genom att Använda kemiska syntesmetoder som kemisk samutfällning, salt smältning i marginella lösningsmedel och termolys, kan material med hög grad av reproducerbarhet och ställbar för industriella processer tillverkas.   Termoelektrisk omvandling effektivitet hos uppnådde material är betydligt högre än resultat av andra studier. I och med detta kan man säga att materialet kan användas inom industri. Slutligen, genom en grundlig undersökning optimerades packningsparametrar som genererades för packning av varje materialgrupp med hjälp av Spark Plasma Sintring teknik (SPS). Eftersom ingen relevant studie finns för varje grupp av termoelektriska nanomaterial som undersökts i denna avhandling, studerades och genererades dessa specifika parametrar. Syftet med studien är att fokusera på bevarande av nanostrukturerade egenskaperna hos pulvret och att samtidigt nå en hög packningstäthet för att ha positiva effekter på materialens termoelektriska omvandlingseffektivitet. / <p>QC 20160503</p> / NEXTEC / SCALTEG

Nanostructured ferritic alloy and silicon carbide composite materials (NFA-SiC) were sintered with spark plasma sintering (SPS) method and systematically investigated through X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), as well as density and Vickers hardness tests. Pure NFA, pure SiC, and their composites NFA-SiC with different compositions (2.5 vol% NFA-97.5 vol% SiC, 5 vol% NFA-95 vol% SiC, 97.5 vol% NFA-2.5 vol% SiC, and 95 vol% NFA-5 vol% SiC) were successfully sintered through SPS. In the high-NFA samples, pure NFA and NFA-SiC, minor gamma-Fe phase formation from the main alfa-Fe matrix occurred in pure NFA 950 degree C and 1000 degree C. The densities of the pure NFA and NFA-SiC composites increased with sintering temperature but decreased with SiC content. The Vickers hardness of the pure NFA and NFA-SiC composites was related to density and phase composition. In the high-SiC samples, NFA addition of 2.5 vol% can achieve full densification for the NFA-SiC samples at relative low temperatures. With the increase in sintering temperature, the Vickers hardness of the pure SiC and NFA-SiC composite samples were enhanced. However, the NFA-SiC composites had relative lower hardness than the pure SiC samples. A carbon layer was introduced in the NFA particles to prevent the reaction between NFA and SiC. Results indicated that the carbon layer was effective up to 1050 degree C sintering temperature. Green samples of gradient-structured NFA-SiC composites were successfully fabricated through slip casting of an NFA-SiC co-suspension. / Master of Science

Comprendre les mécanismes de spéciation des Produits de Fission (PF) dans le combustible nucléaire est un enjeu majeur pour pouvoir estimer précisément le terme source d’un accident grave. Parmi les nombreux PF créés, certains sont très réactifs et peuvent avoir un impact radiologique important en cas de relâchement dans l’atmosphère. C’est notamment le cas du césium (Cs), du molybdène (Mo) et du baryum (Ba). C’est dans ce contexte que s’inscrit le travail de thèse qui propose d’apporter des données expérimentales sur l’effet du potentiel oxygène sur la spéciation du Cs, du Mo et du Ba dans des combustibles nucléaires, à différents stades d’un accident grave.Une approche thermodynamique a été utilisée en support à l’interprétation des données expérimentales obtenues dans le cadre de ce travail. Deux types d’échantillons ont été étudiés: des combustibles MOX irradiés et des matériaux simulant un combustible UO2 à fort taux de combustion, obtenus par frittage à haute température (SIMFuel). Les échantillons ont été traités thermiquement dans des conditions représentatives d’un accident grave survenant dans un Réacteur à Eau Pressurisée (REP). Les conditions expérimentales ont couvert une gamme de température allant de 400°C à 2530°C et des potentiels oxygène situés entre -470 kJ.mol(O2)-1 et -100 kJ.mol(O2)-1. Les échantillons ont été caractérisés finement avant et après chaque traitement à l’aide de techniques complémentaires comme la microscopie optique et électronique, la microsonde et le SIMS dans le cas de l’irradié. Des mesures de XANES sur synchrotron ont été réalisées sur SIMFuel et ont conduit à des résultats importants en termes de spéciation des PF. Enfin, la technique de Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) a été explorée avec succès pour la fabrication de SIMFuel contenant du Cs, du Mo et du Ba sous des formes chimiques représentatives d’un combustible REP en fonctionnement nominal.Ce travail a permis de mettre en évidence l’effet de la température en conditions oxydantes sur le comportement du combustible et des PF. Une oxydation du Mo, initialement présent sous forme métallique dans les inclusions blanches du combustible, en MoO2 a été observée dès 1000°C en conditions oxydantes. Une interaction entre le MoO2 formé et le Ba contenu dans la phase oxyde a eu lieu dans les mêmes conditions, menant à la formation de BaMoO4. Le potentiel oxygène joue aussi un rôle important dans le phénomène d’interaction pastille-gaine, en favorisant la diffusion des espèces en conditions oxydantes, diminuant ainsi la température de fusion du combustible. / In the nuclear community, it is a top priority to gain in-depth understanding of fission product (FP) speciation mechanisms occurring in nuclear fuel in order to precisely estimate the source term of a severe accident. Among the FP produced, some are highly reactive and may have a strong radiological impact if released into the environment. This is particularly the case of cesium (Cs), molybdenum (Mo) and barium (Ba). In this context, the objective of this study is to provide experimental data on the effect of the oxygen potential on Cs, Mo and Ba speciation in nuclear fuels at different stages of a severe accident.A thermodynamic approach was coupled with the experimental work to support the interpretation of experimental data. Two types of samples were studied in detail: irradiated MOX fuels and simulated high burn-up UO2 fuels produced through sintering at high temperature (SIMFuel). The samples were submitted to thermal treatments in conditions representative of a pressurised water reactor (PWR) severe accident. This approach made it possible to cover a temperature range from 400°C up to 2530°C and oxygen potentials from -470 kJ.mol(O2)-1 to -100 kJ.mol(O2)-1. The samples were characterized before and after each test using complementary techniques like OM, SEM, EPMA and SIMS in the case of irradiated fuels. XANES measurements using synchrotron radiation facilities were performed on SIMFuels and provided valuable results on FP speciation. Moreover, spark plasma sintering (SPS) was successfully investigated for the production of SIMFuel samples containing Cs, Mo and Ba in a chemical state representative of PWR fuel in normal operating conditions.This work highlighted the effect of oxidizing severe accident conditions on the fuel and FP behavior. Oxidation of Mo initially contained in the fuel’s metallic inclusions into MoO2 was observed to take place around 1000°C in oxidizing conditions. An interaction between MoO2 and the oxide phase containing Ba took place in the same conditions, leading to the formation of BaMoO4. The oxygen potential also plays an important role in fuel-cladding interactions, enhancing the diffusion of species in oxidizing conditions and lowering the temperature at which fuel melting occurs.

L'objectif de ce travail de thèse consistait à développer d'une technologie de mise en forme de poudres d'aciers faiblement alliés nitrurées afin d'introduire le nitrure ε-Fe2-3N dans la masse de la pièce mécanique.Pour atteindre cet objectif, deux voies ont été étudiées :- réaliser des pièces frittées à partir de poudre d'acier nitrurée ou nitrurée-enrobée (contenant une teneur importante en nitrure ε),- nitrurer et densifier une poudre d'acier pendant l'étape de frittage.La nitruration d'une poudre d'acier 4140 lors du frittage en CIC s'est avérée insuffisante vis-à-vis des teneurs en nitrure ε nécessaires pour l'application industrielle.L'étude de la stabilité, en CIC, de la poudre d'acier 4140 nitrurée a démontré la conservation des nitrures γ' et ε en grande proportion jusqu'à des températures de 650°C, quel que soit la nature du cycle de CIC appliqué. L'étude de la stabilité, à 600°C, de poudres d'acier nitrurées placées en capsules scellées a montré une légère dénitruration de ces poudres pendant le traitement.Des essais de densification de ces poudres d'acier nitrurées ont ensuite été réalisés par frittage SPS puis CIC. Afin de densifier les particules d'acier nitrurées, nous avons choisi d'utiliser un liant. Les essais de frittage SPS ont permis de mettre en évidence les paramètres expérimentaux les plus pertinents pour l'obtention d'un matériau dense et comportant le nitrure ε, et de proposer des préconisations sur les compositions acier-liant. Ces compositions ont été testées en CIC avec succès. Deux d'entre elles ont ainsi permis l'obtention de matériaux denses aux propriétés tribologiques et mécaniques satisfaisantes pour l'application industrielle. / The aim of this Ph.D thesis was to develop a technology to shape nitrided low-alloyed steels powders to introduce the ε-Fe2-3N nitride in the volume of the mechanical component.To achieve this goal, two approaches were considered:- the sintering of coated nitrided steel powder or nitrided steel powder (containing a high content of ε nitride),- the simultaneous densification and nitriding of low-alloy steel powder during the sintering step.Nitriding 4140 steel powder during hot isostatic pressing (HIP) does not allow producing sufficient ε-phase content for industrial application.The stability study of nitrided 4140 steel powder during HIP shows that a huge proportion of nitrides (γ' and ε) is conserved at 650°C, regardless of the HIP cycle. The stability study, at 600°C, of nitrided steel powders placed in sealed evacuated glass tubes, shows a slight denitriding of these powders during the process.Thus, densification of these nitrided steel powders was made by spark plasma sintering (SPS) and HIP. To densify the nitrided steel particles, we have used a copper-phosphorous binder. From SPS experiments, we have deduced the most relevant experimental parameters to obtain a dense material containing ε-phase, and we have proposed recommendations on the composition of nitrided steel-binder mixture. The identified compositions were successfully sintered by HIP. Two of them allow obtaining dense materials with interesting tribological and mechanical properties for industrial application.

This thesis gives a comprehensive characterization of lightweight non-oxide ceramic materials for ballistic applications, an overview of production technologies and processing of boron carbide B4C and its ceramic-based composites. A framework for evaluating the ballistic resistance of the material based on mechanical properties is shown there. It can be used in experiments without normalized equipment. The experiments including B4C + Si, B4C + Ti composites, and application of Spark plasma sintering (SPS) were designed according to outputs from the theoretical part. The volume fractions of Si, Ti dopants were optimized based on ongoing chemical reactions during sintering. The obtained samples were subjects of mechanical testing which results were compared to identify the ideal ratio of matrix and reinforcement. As the best suited material for ballistic protection, B4C + 1,0 obj. % reaches these values of parameters; hardness = 3502 ± 122 HV1; fracture toughness KIC = 2,97 ± 0,03 MPam^0,5.

Le développement des moteurs électromagnétiques nécessite des matériaux magnétiques possédant une forte induction à saturation, une perméabilité magnétique importante, ainsi que de faibles pertes magnétiques lorsque le matériau est utilisé à des fréquences allant jusqu’à 20 kHz.Pour réduire ces pertes, le matériau doit alors posséder une résistivité électrique la plus élevée possible. Les composites magnétiques doux ont été développés dans ce contexte, en associant du fer (ou un alliage) à un matériau isolant. Historiquement, ceux-ci étaient présents sous forme de couches laminées, mais des matériaux coeur-écorce se sont développés ces dernières années.Au cours de ces travaux, nous avons développé l’enrobage de particules de fer par un matériau isolant et magnétique : le ferrite NiZn. L’enrobage de ferrite a été réalisé par voie liquide. De cette manière, il a été possible de réaliser un enrobage homogène d’épaisseur contrôlée sur des particules de fer sphériques.L’étude de la mise en forme de ces particules coeur-écorce, par métallurgie des poudres, a montré qu’en frittant le matériau composite à une température supérieure à 580°C, une réaction d’oxydoréduction a lieu entre les deux composés. Cette réaction mène à la formation d’une phase type FexNi1-x et d’une solution solide FeO-FeZnO. Ces deux phases font alors chuter les propriétés magnétiques du matériau final.Pour éviter cette réaction d’oxydoréduction, nous avons montré qu’il est possible d’ajouter une barrière de diffusion : la silice, ou bien de fritter le matériau à l’aide de techniques type FAST. De cette manière, nous avons obtenu un matériau possédant des pertes magnétiques comparables à celles de poudres industrielles mais avec une perméabilité magnétique supérieure. / Magnetic materials with high saturation induction, high magnetic permeability and low magnetic losses, are necessary for the development of electromagnetic motors used at frequencies up to 20 kHz.The electric resistivity of these materials must be as high as possible to reduce iron losses. To increase the resistivity of ferromagnetic materials, soft magnetic composites (SMC) were developed combining a ferromagnetic material with an insulating one. Firstly, laminated steel sheets were developed but during the last years core-shell materials were investigated.In this work, we have studied the coating of iron particles by an insulating and a magnetic material: NiZn ferrite. These coatings were deposited by an aqueous solution to obtain a homogenous coating with a controlled thickness on spherical iron particles.A study of composite shaping by powder metallurgy shows a redox reaction between ferrite and iron at a sintering temperature above 580°C. This reaction leads to the formation of a FexNi1-x and a FeO-FeZnO solid solution. These two phases deteriorate the magnetic properties of the final material.To avoid this redox reaction, we have shown that a silica layer can be used as a diffusion barrier. Another solution is to sinter the composite with a Field Assisted Sintering Technique (FAST) as Spark Plasma Sintering. A material with properties similar to industrial material and with a superior magnetic permeability was obtained with Spark Plasma Sintering

Afin de produire des champs magnétiques intenses (100 T), les fils conducteurs utilisés dans les bobines pulsées doivent présenter une contrainte à la rupture élevée et une très faible résistivité électrique. Le LNCMI et l'équipe NNC du CIRIMAT explorent des solutions originales basées sur l'élaboration de fils de cuivre nanostructuré et de fils nanocomposites nanotube de carbone - cuivre (NTC-Cu) par la combinaison originale du spark plasma sintering (SPS) et de l'étirage à température ambiante. Des barreaux de cuivre ont été élaborés par SPS à partir de poudres commerciales micrométriques. La croissance cristalline est très faible et la taille des grains de cuivre est 10 fois plus petite que celle des précurseurs de fils classiques. Les barreaux ont été étirés, sans rupture, sous forme de fils de diamètre décroissant (jusqu'à 0,198 mm) et de plusieurs mètres de long. Les grains ultrafins de Cu sont fortement allongés dans la direction de l'étirage. Aucune macle n'a été observée. Tous nos fils de cuivre présentent une résistance à la rupture en traction (à 293K et 77K) supérieure à celle des fils préparés à partir d'un précurseur de cuivre OFHC classique, ce qui pourrait résulter de la combinaison de l'écrouissage et des mécanismes d'Orowan. La résistivité électrique des fils est environ 12% plus élevée que celle des fils de cuivre OFHC. Pour les composites NTC-Cu, une adaptation de la méthode de mélange (fonctionnalisation des NTC biparois et à huit parois, mélange, cryogénisation, lyophilisation, réduction sous H2) a permis de produire des lots de poudre de 14 g en ayant une dispersion homogène des NTC. Du fait de la très faible teneur en carbone (= 1%), la préparation des barreaux puis des fils par les méthodes employées pour le cuivre pur est possible sans modification. La contrainte maximale à la rupture des fils NTC-Cu est supérieure (10-25%) à celle des fils de cuivre correspondants. Les NTC ont peu d'influence sur la microstructure du cuivre et leur probable alignement permet de bénéficier de leur grande résistance en traction. La résistivité est légèrement supérieure à celle des fils de cuivre correspondants (environ 12% à 77K). Le dernier chapitre est consacré à la préparation d'éprouvettes " os-de-chien " (Cu et NTC-Cu) directement par SPS " near-net-shape ". Nous avons mis en évidence l'influence de la nature du matériau dans lequel est usinée la matrice (graphite ou WC-Co) sur la microstructure, la microdureté et la contrainte à la rupture, pour un même cycle de frittage. / In order to produce high magnetic fields (100 T), the conducting wires used in pulsed coils must show both a high tensile strength and very low electrical resistivity. The LNCMI and NNC team of CIRIMAT explore creative solutions based on the development of nanostructured copper wires and carbon nanotube - copper (CNT-Cu) nanocomposite wires by the original combination of spark plasma sintering (SPS) and room-temperature wire-drawing (WD). Copper cylinders were prepared by SPS of micrometric commercial powders. Crystal growth is very low and the copper grains size is 10 times lower than for conventional wire precursors. The cylinders were wire-drawn, without breaking, into wires of decreasing diameter (down to 0.198 mm) and several meters long. The ultrafine Cu grains are highly elongated in the WD direction. No twinning was observed. Our copper wires show an ultimate tensile strength (UTS) at 293K and 77K higher than those for wires prepared from conventional OFHC copper, which could result from the combination of strain hardening and Orowan mechanisms. The electrical resistivity is about 12% higher than those for the OFHC wires. For the CNT-Cu nanocomposites, an adaptation of preparation route (functionalization of double-walled and eight-walled CNTs, mixing, freeze-drying, H2 reduction) resulted in the production of 14 g powder batches with a homogeneous dispersion of the CNTs. Due to the very low carbon content (= 1%), the preparation of the cylinders and wires by the methods used for pure copper is possible without modification. The UTS of the CNT-Cu wirers is 10-25% higher than for the corresponding copper wires. The CNTs have little influence on the Cu microstructure and their probable alignment allows one to benefit from their high tensile strength. The electrical resistivity is only moderately higher than for the corresponding copper wires (about 12% at 77K). The last chapter was devoted to the preparation of "dog-bone" Cu and CNT-Cu test samples by "near-net-shape" SPS. We have brought to the fore the influence of the nature of the die (graphite or WC-Co) on the microstructure, microhardness and tensile strength, for the same sintering cycle.

There exist large number of techniques for the preparation of nanostructured materials. Among them the preparation of nanopowders by gas/vapour condensation is a popular one. Because of very high level of surface to volume ratio, powders of metals which may or may not be reactive in the bulk form undergo vigorous oxidation. Oxidation once initiated continues in an auto catalytic fashion leading to a rise in temperature further increasing the oxidation rate. Therefore, the nanopowders are consolidated in situ under high vacuum. Alternatively a thin passivating oxide layer of few nm can be produced by slow exposure to air. Such powders lend themselves to be handled in further processing in ambient atmosphere. The main objective of the present research is to understand the various scientific and technological issues involved in preparing such passivated nanopowders by levitational gas condensation (LGC) technique, a relatively less explored vapour condensation process and their subsequent consolidation by the powder metallurgical route of compaction and sintering. The nanopowders systems studied are Fe and Fe-Cu (4 wt. %Cu). In chapter 1 a brief review of the gas condensation process and the consolidation behavior of nanopowders produced by this method were carried out. Existing knowledge on various topics relevant for the present study like formation of nanoparticles, agglomeration during gas condensation, physical, structural and chemical nature of the passive layer formed during passivation, compaction and sintering behaviour of this passivated nanopowders were discussed. Chapter 2 details the synthesis of Fe nanopowders by levitational gas condensation process and its physical and structural characteristics. The nanopowders in the as synthesized condition showed extremely low packing density due to loosely packed weakly interlocked agglomerates. The nanoparticles manifest as three dimensional reticulated spongy structure composed of chains of these nanoparticles. Heat transfer calculation carried out to determine the particle temperature at different distance from the levitating drop indicates that the nanoparticles can be ferromagnetic at a distance of less than 2 mm away from the levitation drop and hence the magnetic nature of the materials plays an important role in the formation of nanoparticle chains and spongy agglomerates. Passivation of the nanopowders by slow exposure to air produces 3-4 nm thick oxide layer (Fe3O4) over α-Fe and the volume of these oxides was around 45%. The 3rd chapter presents and discusses the results of Fe-Cu alloy nanopowder synthesized by levitating gas condensation process. While synthesis of elemental nanopowders by gas condensation is straight forward as the operating conditions only influence the particle size, alloys require careful control of the levitating drop composition. Although initially we start the process with levitated drop of required composition, the vapour generated will be richer in more volatile element (Cu in our case). Thus the composition of the levitated drop progressively becomes deficient in Cu which in turn reduces Cu in the vapour. Composition of the drop can be stabilised by continuous feeding of the alloy of required composition that can be estimated from the knowledge of equilibrium relation. To establish the equilibrium relationship between composition of the liquid and vapour in evaporation and condensation, phase diagram in the liquid and vapour region was calculated and was validated by determining composition of the drops. Good agreement between the drop composition and the composition predicted by the phase diagram were observed. Various physical, chemical and structural properties of the Fe-Cu nanopowders are characterized in detail using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and thermogravimetry (TG) analysis. The overall chemical composition of the Fe-Cu alloy nanopowders and of the individual agglomerates is same as the composition of feed materials used. However, Cu was found to segregate to the surface of the nanopowders which is attributed to minimization of surface energy with Cu at the surface. The total weight loss observed in TG in flowing hydrogen indicates that the surface passive layer of Fe-Cu appears to be very thin compared to Fe. The consolidation behaviour of both Fe and Fe-Cu nanopowders was studied by both conventional and spark plasma sintering (SPS) and are discussed in chapter 4. The as collected nanopowders from the apparatus have extremely low apparent density. The powders were further subjected to soft milling in a ball mill under ethanol to disentangle the agglomerates there by improving the pack density. A tenfold improvement was achieved thus making it suitable for consolidation. Uniaxial compaction of these powders for conventional sintering at pressure below 200 MPa yielded compacts free from defects. However, at higher pressure the compacts cracks and delaminates during ejection stage. Analysis of the compaction curves helped us to understand various processes involved during compaction as well as providing explanation for lower green density of Fe-Cu powder compared to Fe. Conventional sintering of the nanopowders compacts were carried out in the flowing hydrogen atmosphere in a laboratory vacuum furnace over wide range of temperatures. Instrumented sintering experiments were also carried out in a dilatometer under hydrogen atmosphere to evaluate shrinkage rate at different temperatures. SPS were carried out under 10 Pa vacuum at a compaction pressure of 250 MPa in WC-Co die cavity. The stability, density and residual oxygen content of the sintered compacts were quantified. Detailed microstuctural analysis of the sintered samples were also carried out using optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy and quantitative composition analysis by EDS. Conventionally sintered compacts of both the powders showed stability only when sintered at 700°C and beyond. The maximum shrinkage/densification occured around 450°C for both the powders and the densification rate observed in Fe-Cu is three times higher than Fe. This enhanced densification in Fe-Cu is attributed to an enhanced diffusivity of Fe atoms in the transient liquid Cu layer formed at the interfaces. The microstructure of Fe-Cu is completely free from any separate oxide phase unlike in samples of Fe sintered at 700°C that contain ultrafine oxide grains. This was explained on the basis of role played by acrawax, a lubricant, admixed to increase the green density. Based on the sintered densities of both SPS and conventional sintered compacts, residual oxide content of the compacts sintered at different temperature and experimentally observed shrinkage rate a phenomenological model has been proposed for the possible sequence of processes occurring during sintering of these nanopowders. The major findings of this work are summarized in chapter 6 and chapter 7 details the scope for the future work.