Progress in SiAlON ceramics

In view of the considerable progress that has been made over the last several years on the fundamental understanding of phase relationships, microstructural design, and tailoring of properties for specific applications of rare-earth doped SiAlONs, a clear review of current understanding of the basic regularities lying behind the processes that take place during sintering of SiAlONs is timely. Alternative secondary phase development, mechanism and full reversibility of the alpha to beta' transformation in relation with the phase assemblage evolution are elucidated. Reaction sintering of multicomponent SiAlONs is considered with regard of wetting behavior of silicate liquid phases formed on heating. Regularities of SiAlON's behavior and stability are tentatively explained in terms of RE element ionic radii and acid/base reaction principle. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.