The Need for Controlled Heterogeneous Nucleation in Ceramic Processing

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe principles underlying controlled heterogeneous nucleation are reviewed. The application of these principles for the preparation of ceramic powders with equiaxed morphology and narrow size distribution is illustrated with examples from the literature and our recent work on alumina. It is concluded that controlled heterogeneous nucleation will be an important factor in fully realizing the benefits of chemically derived polycrystalline ceramics.