ADVANCE CERAMICS REPORTS
NO.1, JAN.1999
AUTOMOTIVE
2 Silicon nitride diesel engine components
2 Carbon-carbon valves
2 Alcan establishes company to promote aluminium
matrix composites
COATINGS
3 Joint venture formed to market coating
technologies in Europe
ELECTRONICS
4 Thin film material technology licensed to
Mitsubishi Materials
4 Dense polycrystalline metal oxide whiskers
5 Electromagnetic interference suppressors for
GHz band
5 Nippon Chemical increases barium titanate
production
MATERIALS
5 Hybrid fire-resistant shield
5 Titanium carbonitride bearings
6 Thermally conductive packaging adhesive
6 Catalyst extracts toxic metals from water
7 Hard carbon structures under investigation
7 Carbon nanotube hybrids
PROCESSING
8 Near-net-shape parts made by solid free-form
fabrication route
TESTING AND STANDARDS
8 Biaxial flexural strength
INDUSTRY NEWS
9 Ceradyne reports reduced third quarter 1998
i sales and earnings
10 Titanium matrix actuator piston wins award
10 Alfred University gains redesignation
10 Morion International acquires precision fabricator
11 Ceramics company breaks ground for new
headquarters
BIOCERAMICS
12 Calcium ions improve biocompatibility of
titanium prosthetics
12 Glass ceramic dental material
Ceradyne says it is to start producing silicon
nitride parts for diesel engines and is forecasting
initial sales of $1 million a year page 2
Alcan has set up a new company in an effort
to promote its Duralcan metal matrix
composites to the automotive industry. The
company believes it could see sales of 300 000
tonnes within a decade page 2
Metal oxide crystals of an entirely new shape
have been grown by scientists at the
Technological University of Nagaoka page 4
A fire-resistant composite features a ceramic
precursor that pyrolyses when in contact with
flames page 5
Ceratec is offering titanium carbonitride
bearings that are twice as hard and weigh
about 40% less than conventional chrome
steel types page 5
Researchers at Mobil and Pacific Northwest
National Lab have developed a catalyst which
is capable of extracting heavy metals from water.
They claim the catalyst can make contaminated
water drinkable within s econds page 6
A joint UK research programme is looking at the
structure and properties of new types of carbon
microstructures based on carbon 60 fullerenes —
materials which could eventually be used in a
wide variety of ap plications page 7
University of Kentucky scientists have developed
composites based on carbon nanotubes in
research work which is attracting the interest
of industry page 7
Near-net-shape parts are being made by a
fused deposition process. The technique reduces
the number of manufacturing steps needed to
make engineering and electronic ceramic
components p age 8
In Japan, researchers say they can improve
the biocompatibility of titanium prosthetics by
bombarding them with calcium ions page 12
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ADVANCE CERAMICS REPORTS
VOL.1999, NO.2, FEB.1999
COATINGS
2 Singaporean company licensed to use diamond
coating technique
ELECTRONICS
2 Ferroelectric films can help save electrical power in
electronic devices
3 Silicon carbide to replace silicon in electronic devices
4 Hydraulic-setting zirconia
4 Zirconium phosphate with low coefficient of
thermal expansion
SUPERCONDUCTORS
5 Fabrication of high purity superconducting powders
MAGNETS
5 Self propagating high temperature synthesis
REFRACTORIES
5 Sialon for use in molten aluminium
FILTERS
6 Gas separation membrane
6 Zeolite molecular sieve
CATALYSTS
6 Removing nitrogen oxides
7 Zirconia-lithium catalyst absorbs and releases carbon
dioxide
SENSORS
7 Zirconia with core-shell microstructure
7 Lithium niobium oxide detector
NUCLEAR
8 Neutron-absorbing composite
WEAR AND CORROSION RESISTANCE
8 Wear of alumina and alumina composites
I PROCESSING
9 Polishing techniques process balls and rollers using
magnetic fields
I TESTING AND STANDARDS
9 Regulations clarify UK law on mineral fibres
10 Materials measurement programmes
INDUSTRY NEWS
11 Morton International acquires precision fabrication
facility
11 International ceramics prize
Japanese barium titanate plant expands again
MARKETS
12 US market for sol-gel products to reach $275 million
by 2003
. Thin films of ferroelectrics could
help save electrical power, as well as
decreasing the memory cell size, in
metal-ferroelectric semiconductor
field effect transistors, according to
Japanese researchers page 2
. Siemens AG is developing electronic
components made from monocrystalline
silicon carbide and hopes to commercialize
a range of devices that would replace
those currently made from silicon page 3
. Arernco has introduced a zirconia-based
ceramic compound that sets hydraulically
and a product based on zirconium
phosphate, a ceramic with a low coefficient
of thermal expansion Page 4
. Researchers in the UK are using self-
propagating high temperature synthesis
to produce magnetic ceramics page 5
. A reaction-bonded sialon suitable
for making components to be immersed
in molten aluminium has been
introduced by Benchmark Structural
Ceramics Corp page 5
. Toshiba Corp has developed a zirconia-
lithium catalyst that can absorb or release
carbon dioxide repeatedly page 7
. Boralyn metal matrix composite is to be
used as a neutron-absorber for storage
casks that contain spent fuel rods from
nuclear reactors page 8
. Two methods for polishing ceramic balls
and rollers using magnetic fields have
been developed in the USA page 9
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ADVANCED CERAMICS REPORTS
No. 3, March 1999
SUPERCONDUCTORS
2 Low temperature melt growth process makes
better superconductors
BIOCERAMICS
3 Titania-tricalcium phosphate offers improved
biocompatibility
3 Rapid regeneration of bone tissue
3 Resorbable devices win European approval
COATINGS
4 Ceramic fibre reinforced coatings give better
heat insulation to engine components
5 Glass ceramic coating for quartz infra-red
heaters
COMPOSITES
5 Versailles Project studies testing of metal
matrix composites
GLASSES
6 Circular connectors for high vacuum applications
ELECTRONICS
6 Low temperature co-fired tape for high frequency
applications
7 Resistor-capacitor impedance matching device
7 Multilayer capacitor for automotive applications
8 Low temperature sealant
8 Laser drilling systems for electronics packaging
FILTERS
9 Waste-water treatment
CATALYSTS
9 Single-site organometallics
TESTING AND STANDARDS
10 Japan proposes international standards
INDUSTRY NEWS
10 Poor fourth quarter for Coors Ceramics
10 Morgan Crucible's profits sink under weight of
cheap steel
PUBLICATIONS
11 American Ceramic Society
MARKETS
12 Bauxite and alumina sales grow
HiTcSuperconco Inc claims to have
found a way to improve the physical
properties of high-temperature
superconductors based on yttrium
barium copper oxide page 2
A composite made from a core of
dense titania with a surface layer of
porous tricalcium phosphate granules
has good mechanical properties and is
biocompatible page 3
United Technologies Corp describes how
ceramic fibre reinforcements can be
used to improve the performance of heat
insulating coatings for components in
gas turbine engines page 4
A range of circular connectors for high
vacuum applications, made from glass
ceramics, have been introduced by
Ceramaseal Page 6
A low temperature co-fired ceramic tape
has been developed and commercialized
by DuPont Microcircuit Materials for high
frequency applications..... page 6
.....AVX Corp has also used the tape to
make a resistor-capacitor impedance
matching device page 7
A waste-water treatment system designed
for semiconductor manufacturers
combines ceramic filters with a lateral
continuous centrifuge page 9
Coors Ceramics and Morgan Crucible
report poor financial results page 10
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ADVANCE CERAMICS REPORTS
NO. 4, APR.1999
2 Zirconia thermal barriers show microstructural
changes at low temperatures
COMPOSITES
2 Oxidation resistance of ceramic matrix composites
2 Joining ceramic matrix composites to metals
3 Precursor-derived polycrystalline fibres
ELECTRONICS
3 Composite chip filters
4 Multi-million dollar contracts for radio frequency
interference filters
SUPERCONDUCTORS
4 High temperature toroid for gravity shielding experiments
FUEL CELLS/BATTERIES
5 Lithium manganese oxide for battery electrodes
CATALYSTS
5 Catalytic converter substrate reduces automobile
emissions
AEROSPACE
6 Materials research in space
DEFENCE
6 Ceradyne to develop armour under US Army contract
NANOMATERIALS
6 Nanophase aims to reduce product development time
PROCESSING
7 Rapid prototyping of parts
7 Water-soluble support assists rapid prototyping
8 Tougher silicon carbide
EQUIPMENT
8 Measuring the thermal conductivity of barrier coatings
TESTING AND STANDARDS
9 Assessment of exposure to crystalline silica
INDUSTRY NEWS
9 Ceradyne reports poor fourth quarter and year end
10 American Technical Ceramics reports disappointing
earnings
10 Spectrum Control to acquire Signal Conditioning
Products Division of AMP
11 Cetek Technologies obtains initial funding of
$250 000 for planned acquisition
11 Brush Wellman's Powder Metallurgy group moves
into new building
I MARKETS
12 Low-k materials set to increase share of
dielectric market
Changes to the microstructure of ceramic
coatings when they are exposed to the
drastic temperatures typical of engines
are being studied in the USA page 2
Materials Resources International (MRi)
says it has developed a method to join
carbon-carbon (C-C) and carbon-
silicon carbide (C-SiC) composites to
metals Page 2
A new way of making the electrodes
used for recharging lithium batteries has
been devised in the UK page 5
Corning has developed a substrate for
catalytic converters that, it claims, can
reduce automobile emissions by as much
as 70% page 5
A contract to develop ceramic-based
armour has been awarded to Ceradyne
Inc by the US Department of Defense
(US Army) page 6
A method for fabricating ceramic parts
quickly without moulds or machining
has been developed at Sandia National
Laboratories in the USA page 7
The National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST) has developed an
instrument that can measure the
thermal conductivities of thin, thermal
barrier coatings page 8
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ADVANCED CERAMICS REPORTS May 1999 Vol :1999 No . 5
i
MATERIALS 2 Stronger, more durable titanium carbonitride
2 Thermal annealing produces silicon nanocrystals
3 High-purity lithium mineral for glass-ceramic products
3 Soluble hybrids of polymer-silica gel
COATINGS
4 Smooth diamond films
4 Emulsion templating used to make macroporous bulk gels and thin films
COMPOSITES
5 Silicon nitride-lead is non-brittle and easy to machine 5 Low-temperature glue for ceramic composites I
BIOCERAMICS 6 Bone material developed
ELECTRONICS
6 Photovoltaic material made from lead zirconate I titanate 1 6 Smaller size alumina packages
CUTTING TOOLS 7 Cubic boron nitride cutting tool from Kyocera Corp
WEAR AND CORROSION RESISTANCE 7 Sintered silicon carbide grades developed for corrosive applications 8 Zirconia knives
CATALYSTS
8 $77 million catalyst substrate plant to serve Asian markets
EQUIPMENT
9 High temperature furnace offers rapid heating
INDUSTRY NEWS 9 Saint-Gobain buys Crystal Products from Union I
Carbide 9 Warren Diamond Powder sold to Saint-Gobain Industrial
10 Saint-Gobain closes New Jersey refractories plant 10 Alyn Corp secures funding of six million dollars 11 Ferro sells Filtros business 11 Group formed to promote low temperature co-fired tap e
11 SEPR buys Annawerk Keramische Betriebe GmbH
NUCLEAR .
12 Cement-like material for encapsulation of radioactive waste
Toshiba Ceramics claims to have made a stronger and more durable kind of titanium carbonitride 2
A chemical vapour deposition process that results in smoother diamond films has been developed by Crystallume, a division of Advanced Refractory Technologies 4
A glue for joining ceramics reinforced with continuous fibres of silicon carbide allows these materials to be joined at temperatures low enough to prevent damage to the composites 5
An appatite-collagen composite that has a similar chemical and cellular structure to natural bone has been developed by Japanese researchers 6
Improved photovoltaic materials based on lead zirconate titanate are the claim of researchers at the Kyushu Industrial Research Institute 6
Kyocera has introduced a grade of cubic boron nitride cutting tool which it claims is suitable for the interrupted cutting of hard materials 7
Saint-Gobain has acquired Crystal Products and Warren Diamond Powder, but has closed its refractories plant in New Jersey, USA 9-10
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ADVENCED CERAMICS REPORT
NO. 7, JULY 1999
MATERIALS
Powders formed using plasma gas 2
Hexagonal boron nitride powders 2
Powders with narrow particle distribution 13
High temperature composites 13
PROCESSING
Silicon oxycarbide foam production process 4
L.ow-cost production of zinc oxide crystals 4
AUTOMOTIVE
Ceradyne contract for diesel engine components 5
DEFENCE
Armour selected for protection of 5
military aircraft
ELECTRONICS
Nanofibres spark a revolution 5
Epitaxial crystalline oxide 6
film for semiconductors
FUEL CELLS AND BATTERIES
Solid oxide fuel cell converts hydrogen into 7
electricity using petrol
FILTERS
Ashland to distribute mullite filter 7
EQUIPMENT
Isostatic press 8
Dilatometer for thermal expansion 8
measurements to 1400°C
INDUSTRY NEWS
Cookson acquire Premier Refractories for 8
£252 million
Wacker Chemie establishes US company 9
Alyn Corp completes restructuring programme 10
Dynamic Ceramic receives achievement award 11
LITERATURE
DiffUsion in Ceramics — 10 Years of Research 11
COATINGS
Infiltrated carbide wear coatings 12
High temperature coatings 12
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ADVANCED CERAMICS REPORTS
NO. 8, AUGUST 1999
MATERIALS
2 Reduced wear
NANOMATERIALS
2 Solid solution of diamond-like carbon clusters in
silicon carbide
COMPOSITES
3 Diamond matrix reinforced with non-diamond particles
3 Vacuum plasma spray used to make net-shape composite
3 Silicon carbide fabric is sealed with glass to provide
strength at high temperatures
COATINGS
4 Diamond films from cheaper raw materials using
lower processing temperatures
4 Bemex and Archer Technicoat to co-operate on thin
film technology
5 Reactive-ion etching produces diamond membranes
faster
5 Metal foil protects ceramic insulating blanket
ELECTRONICS
6 Liquid-phase barium titanate for multilayer capacitors
6 Cheap single-crystal piezoelectric fibres
7 Superconductor inhomogeneity
7 Silicon-based transistor technology
BIOCERAMICS
8 Titanium layer protects yttria stabilized zirconia
prostheses
AUTOMOTIVE
8 Toyota fuel cell research focuses on coated electrodes
8 Alumina component for anti-lock braking system
9 Diesel filter fitted to Peugeot models
EQUIPMENT
9 Revolving hydraulic press
INDUSTRY NEWS
10 DuraWear sold by GreenMan Technologies
10 Japanese sales of advanced ceramics are down again
Saint-Gobain on the acquisition trail
11 Coming to build its first manufacturing plant in
South Africa
DEFENCE
12 Lightweight armour to be developed under US
defence programme
12 Silicon carbide armour
A composite site consisting of particles of iron
oxide in a matrix of silicon nitride has
reduced wear and low friction, according
to its Japanese developers 2
A team of Ukrainian researchers has
developed a technique for synthesizing
a solid solution of diamond-like carbon
interlayers in silicon carbide powders 2
Crystallume has patented a new class of
composites in which diamond and non-
diamond particles are consolidated with a
polycrystalline diamond matrix 3
sealing a composite based on silicon carbide
fabric with glass provides protection and
increased strength at high temperatures,
according to Japanese scientists 3
A cheaper technique for producing a thin
diamond film of high quality has been
developed by scientists at Tokyo
University 4
US researchers claim to have found a better
way of fabricating polycrystalline diamond
membranes 5
Japanese metals manufacturer Toho
Titanium says it will commercialize a
liquid-phase process for the production of
barium titanate 6
A layer of malleable titanium is now being
used to coat hip prostheses made from
yttria-stabilized zirconia. According to
Johnson & Johnson Professional Inc, the
titanium layer helps reduce the likelihood
of fractures 8
Protech Armoured Products has developed
an improved composite armour 12
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ADVANCED CERAMICS REPORTS
NO. 9, SEPTEMBER 1999
MATERIALS
2 Zirconium phosphate
COATINGS
2 Diamond-like carbon films applied to soft materials
2 Coating improves mechanical properties of
silicon nitride
3 Thick layers deposited on metals
3 Thin films for diffraction gratings
FILTERS
4 Nonwoven removes diesel particulates
GLASSES
4 Metallic glass shatters assumptions
SUPERCONDUCTORS
5 Superconducting cable
ELECTRONICS
5 Alloy for semiconductors
6 Nanoscale technology based on colloidal approach
BIOCERAMICS
6 Carbon-based prosthetic devices
OPTICAL
7 Alumina components for excimer lasers
PROCESSING
7 Causticization process for refinjng alumina
7 Pressure-assisted densification
8 Cathodes for aluminium electrolysis cells
9 Binder coagulation casting
EQUIPMENT
9 X-ray spectrometer
INDUSTRY NEWS
10 La Roche sells alumina business
10 Pre-tax profits up for Johnson Matthey
11 Engineered Ceramics acquires composites business
11 Increased sales for Coors
ADHESIVES
12 Joining silicon carbide composites
12 Bonding tantalum wire to tube heaters
Nissin Electric has developed a technology
to apply diamond-like carbon (DLC)
coatings to soft materials, including
rubber and plastics 2
A ceramic cloth that removes
particulates from diesel engine emissions
has been developed by the Japanese
company Tosco 4
A metallic glass has surprised US
researchers by throwing off showers of
sparks when it is shattered 4
US researchers claim to have
demonstrated the feasibility of making
endoprosthetic devices from carbon and
carbon-reinforced composites 6
Large ceramic frames and plates for
excimer lasers have been developed by
German company Wesgo Ceramics 7
Alcoa World Alumina has developed an
efficient causticization process for use in
refining alumina 7
Superior Graphite has developed
a pressure-assisted densification
method 7
A novel method of forming alumina,
zirconia and other oxide ceramics to
near-net shape has been developed by a
team from the New York State College of
Ceramics (NYSCC) and Kodak 9
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