Papers by Author: Ichiro Hayashi

Abstract: Porous Si3N4 ceramics with different pore morphology have been fabricated, utilizing either organic whiskers or starch as the fugitive agents, through slip-casting and die-pressing technique, respectively. The obtained porous ceramics have rod shaped or equiaxial pore morphology, originated from there two kinds of pore forming agents. The mechanical properties were investigated. The strength decreased considerably when small amount of whiskers were added, however, further increase in the whisker content only cause a moderate decrease of the strength. Gas permeability were measured for the samples with high whisker content of 60 vol% (corresponding to porosity of about 45% in the sintered bodies), and was compared with the counterpart contained the same porosity in which pores were equiaxial. The flexural strength of the samples with these two types of fugitive particles was almost the same, but the permeability of samples with rod-shaped pores were much higher than that with equiaxial pores, which can be understood in terms of a short pass model.

Abstract: β-SiAlON nanoceramics were fabricated from β-SiAlON nano powder using the spark-plasma sintering (SPS) technique. The β-SiAlON nanopowder (Si4Al2O2N6) was synthesized from a mixture of SiO2 (QS-102, Tokuyama Co., Japan), AlOOH (Tomita, Japan) and C (Mitsubishi Chemical, Japan) using the carbothermal reduction nitridation (CRN) method. The heating rate for SPS was 50
/min. The β-SiAlON nanoceramics had high strength (500 MPa). TEM observation showed that the intergranular glassy phase was scarcely present at the grain boundary of the β-SiAlON nanoceramics. Aqueous corrosion resistance was evaluated by measuring the weight loss after soaking in 5 and 35 wt.% H2SO4aq. and 5 wt.% HNO3aq. at 80
for 100 h. It was found that β-SiAlON nanoceramics have much higher corrosion resistance than commercialized silicon nitride ceramics in acid solutions. Commercialized Si3N4 ceramics have an intergranular glassy phase created as a result of the sintering aids in them. Thus, they are easily corroded by acid solutions because the intergranular glassy phase is easily corroded under such conditions. The excellent corrosion resistance of the β-SiAlON nanoceramics stems from their glass-free grain boundaries, since the β-SiAlON nanoceramics were produced without using a sintering aid.