Powders and raw materials

213

Powders and Raw Materials

A feature of advanced ceramics activities in Europe in recent years has been the increasing use of chemical synthetic techniques for control of the physical properties of ceramic materials, particularly particle aggregation in powders. Papers presented in this session highlighted some of these techniques and in particular, the sol-gel processing of alkoxides for both oxide and non-oxide ceramics on both laboratory and industrial scales. In addition to illustrating a variety of synthesis methods, the papers also emphasized the advanced analytical methods, e.g. nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, which are being increasingly applied for the elucidation of reaction mechanisms and for the characterization of ceramic materials. D. SEGAL Session Chairman