A general method to synthesize and sinter bulk ceramics in seconds

TLDR

Ceramics are widely used for their high thermal, mechanical, and chemical stability, yet conventional sintering limits screening rates due to long processing times and volatile element loss, while first‑principles predictions offer a promising route to accelerate discovery. The authors aim to experimentally validate first‑principles predictions by developing an ultrafast high‑temperature sintering (UHS) process using radiative heating in an inert atmosphere. The UHS process employs rapid radiative heating under an inert atmosphere to sinter ceramics within seconds. The UHS process enables rapid fabrication of ceramics, demonstrated through improved solid‑state electrolytes, multicomponent structures, and high‑throughput screening.

Abstract

Ceramics are an important class of materials with widespread applications because of their high thermal, mechanical, and chemical stability. Computational predictions based on first principles methods can be a valuable tool in accelerating materials discovery to develop improved ceramics. It is essential to experimentally confirm the material properties of such predictions. However, materials screening rates are limited by the long processing times and the poor compositional control from volatile element loss in conventional ceramic sintering techniques. To overcome these limitations, we developed an ultrafast high-temperature sintering (UHS) process for the fabrication of ceramic materials by radiative heating under an inert atmosphere. We provide several examples of the UHS process to demonstrate its potential utility and applications, including advancements in solid-state electrolytes, multicomponent structures, and high-throughput materials screening.