Nanometric Oxide Additives for Ceramic Sintering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current ceramic manufacturing processes require high sintering temperatures, leading to increased energy consumption, production costs, and environmental impact, while existing solutions for reducing sintering temperatures often involve high concentrations of nanomaterials that are costly and impractical for industrial applications.
Innovation Solution
A family of fluxing nanostructured additives made from sodium, potassium, boron, silicon, zinc, and calcium oxides, combined with nano silver and copper, are developed using physicochemical methods to reduce sintering temperatures and enhance mechanical properties, allowing for lower thermal cycle times and energy usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If high sintering temperatures are used, then the ceramic body achieves proper densification and mechanical properties, but energy consumption and production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical parameter of particle size to nanometric scale (1-100 nm) for the oxide additives, which fundamentally alters their sintering behavior. This parameter change enables the ceramic body to achieve proper densification at lower sintering temperatures, thereby reducing energy consumption while maintaining mechanical properties
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite ceramic system by incorporating nanometric oxide additives (sodium, potassium, boron, silicon, zinc, calcium oxides) into the ceramic body matrix. This composite structure facilitates lower temperature sintering while achieving the required densification and mechanical strength
2Use of energy by moving object
If nanometric additives are used to reduce sintering temperature, then energy consumption decreases, but the concentration required is high making it costly and impractical
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the concentration parameter of nanometric additives to a range of 0.1-5.0 wt%, with preferred ranges of 0.5-2.0 wt%. This parameter optimization achieves effective temperature reduction while maintaining cost-effectiveness and industrial practicality
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies nanometric additives selectively at specific locations within the ceramic body structure, allowing localized fluxing action at grain boundaries and interfaces. This localized application reduces the overall quantity of nanomaterials required while maintaining effective temperature reduction
3Manufacturing precision
If high sintering temperatures are used, then proper densification is achieved, but production time and environmental impact increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the temperature parameter by enabling sintering at reduced temperatures (reduction of 50-150°C) through nanometric additive incorporation. This parameter change maintains proper densification while significantly reducing production time and associated environmental impact
4Temperature
If conventional fluxes are used to reduce sintering temperature, then temperature can be lowered, but the mechanical properties and gresification properties are affected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent develops a composite additive system combining multiple nanometric oxides (sodium, potassium, boron, silicon, zinc, calcium) that work synergistically. This composite approach reduces sintering temperature while maintaining mechanical properties and gresification characteristics, unlike conventional single-component fluxes
Solution Approach 2:
The nanometric additives (1-100 nm) exhibit localized fluxing action at grain boundaries and interfaces, creating liquid phases that facilitate sintering at lower temperatures without compromising the bulk mechanical properties. The localized effect preserves overall material strength while enabling temperature reduction
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The additives enable sintering at lower temperatures with improved mechanical properties and antimicrobial capabilities, reducing production costs and environmental impact while maintaining the quality of ceramic products.
Implementation Method 1
The sintering process occurs when part of the particles melt between more refractory components, forming a liquid phase that contains refractory solids
Implementation Method 2
additives called fluxes are used. These agents affect the melting point of the ceramic ingredients, promoting melting or vitrification at low temperature
Implementation Method 3
several dispersion and nanoparticle powder formulations with deflocculating agents, stabilizers and rheology modifiers, stabilizing the product and contributing to the process of grinding and incorporation of the components
Implementation Method 4
when cooled, solidifies as a continuous phase with less porosity and better mechanical properties
Data Source
AI summary
The object of this invention is a process for manufacturing, conditioning and stabilization of a family of base additives sodium, potassium, boron, silicon, zinc, calcium oxides, among others, prepared by physicochemical and chemical synthesis methods that form nanometric structures, reformulated with deflocculant, sequestrants and dispersants additives that allow to obtain a dispersion or powder capable to decrease the sintering temperature of a ceramic body due to the high fluxing power, which is maximized by the use of nanotechnology in the structures obtained. The process consists in the preparation of nucleation seeds of metal, silicates and carbonates oxides by means of a physicochemical process, and which allow nanometric structures to grow by means of a chemical process in a chemical synthesis process wet basis of sodium, boron, silicon, zinc, potassium and calcium oxides. The combination of these oxides allows structuring elements of high fluxing power due to their high surface area and physicochemical composition. The additives prepared in this invention are chemically stabilized with deflocculating agents, which allow the additives to be incorporated into the aqueous medium grinding process of the ceramic body. Applications made with the additives of this invention allow the sintering temperature of a red body to be reduced from 1150° C. to 1000° C. and in porcelain bodies from 1180° C. to 1050° C., with the use of 0.2 to 5% of the additive, or increasing the speed of the heat treatment by up to 20%, and it can be used in the manufacture of bathroom fittings, molding parts, components for tooling, coatings, valances, enamels, vitrified pastes and other ceramic components. The present invention proposes several nanostructured additive formulations with high performance fluxing properties, which allow to optimize and standardize the sintering process and to improve the mechanical properties of the ceramic body. It also proposes different methods of application of the additive in ceramic formulations.