| abstract |
A method of producing a ceramic or ceramic composite part having microfeatures by causing a chemical reaction in a castable slurry and bonding nano-sized or sub-micron sized ceramic powders together. Bonding methods that impart cohesiveness and strength to this material create a reaction product or gel phase resulting from a chemical reaction between the ceramic powder and a reagent such as an acid, alkali, or inorganic salt solution that bonds the ceramic powder together. This gel phase is dehydrated, hardened, or crystallized by a firing process at a higher temperature but below a temperature range (typically less than 1,000 ° C.) where sintering begins to occur in the ceramic. It is possible. |