Fabrication of mullite-zirconia composites by microwave sintering of corundum/amorphous silica particles and sol-gel substrates

Mullite-ZrO2 composites were prepared using as starting materials corundum/ amorphous silica particles or substrates formed by the sol-gel method. The sintering process has been carried out in a high temperature microscope and in a microwave oven. It was observed that the mechanism of mullite-ZrO2 co mposite formation from composite particles (so called transient viscous sin tering) was different from the process typical for substrates prepared by t he sol-gel method. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd and Techna S.r.l. All righ ts reserved.