Fabrication of nano-laminar composite from glass flake

A simple process for fabricating a "nano-laminar" ceramic composite was examined. Glass flakes with a thickness of 0.7 mu m coated with silver were used as model materials, and were consolidated by pulsed current sintering with a uniaxial press of 7.1 MPa. The sintering temperature was varied in the range of 873-973 K. The consolidated samples sintered at 943 K were fairly dense, and the flakes were aligned by uniaxial pressing. The silver coating remained on the flakes through the sintering, and became an interface layer between the flakes. The indentation test demonstrated its high resistance to crack propagation through the transverse direction of the aligned flakes; this result was attributed to crack deflection at the interface and the accumulation of microfractures around the indent. The potential for a nano-laminar composite with high toughness were shown.