Spark Plasma Sintering of Special-Purpose Functional Ceramics Based on UO2, ZrO2, Fe3O4/α-Fe2O3

Abstract

The possibilities of creating special-purpose ceramics by the spark plasma sintering (SPS) according to the principle of the low-voltage electro-pulse consolidation of powders under the conditions of an external mechanical load is investigated. Ceramics applicable in the nuclear, medical, and electrotechnical industries are fabricated. A methodological description and special features of the presented technique are provided for the first time in terms of fabricating nuclear ceramics in the form of a pellet product of UO₂; composite bioceramics with a theoretical density exceeding 97.6% (based on ZrO₂ doped by hydroxyapatite) characterized with controlled (meso-, macro-) porosity and a high compression strength of ~400 MPa; and magnetic ceramics resistant to reverse magnetization based on nanostructured iron oxides (Fe₃O₄/α-Fe₂O₃) with a saturation magnetization of 50 emu/g.