Pattern Formation during Current Sintering

• Applicants: Professor Dr. Markus Winterer; Professor Dr. Dietrich Wolf
• Subject Area: Thermodynamics and Kinetics as well as Properties of Phases and Microstructure of Materials ; Physical Chemistry of Solids and Surfaces, Material Characterisation
• Term: from 2016 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 319412819

The microstructural evolution during current sintering is investigatedexperimentally and theoretically for the case that the conductivity dropslocally due to a reaction-diffusion process induced by the current.Aluminum-doped ZnO serves as a paradigm for this class of transportprocesses with negative feedback. The self-organized patterns that emergedue to this mechanism are being analyzed in dependence of the processparameters for thin films as well as for bulk samples. The possibility ofmanipulating the pattern formation e.g. by applying the current as apulse sequence or by external cooling are explored. Potentially they willallow control of the micro-structure on length scales larger than grain orpore size in the green body.

• DFG Programme: Priority Programmes
• Subproject of: SPP 1959: Manipulation of matter controlled by electric and magnetic fields: Towards novel synthesis and processing routes of inorganic materials