Sol-gel processing of ceramics

Abstract

The sol-gel process can be considered as an interesting method for the synthesis of tailor-made ceramic raw materials. Two points of view are of special interest: powder synthesis and the processing of ultrafine raw materials. In the case of powder synthesis, high quality and multicomponent powders can be synthesized by control of surface chemistry and agglomerate-free subµm powder can be obtained. The preparation of tailor-made sols offers the possibility of powder-free processing of coatings, fibers and microstructure controlled ceramics with small defect sizes. In this paper basic principles and examples for synthesis of powders and processing of ultrafine powders or suspensions will be presented.