Investigation of sintering and mechanical properties of sialon nano powders produced by wet milling process

The aim of this study was, to produce nano-sized ? and ß-SiAlON starting powders by wet milling at elevated speeds. Different milling times and mediums (Methyl ethyl keton, ethanol and toluene as medium, polyethyleneglicol, oleic acid, sodium tripolyphosphate and polyvinylpyrrolidon as dispersants) were performed for the determination of the most efficient milling system. The milled powders were characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), scanning electron microscope (SEM), BET and X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements and the results were compared to powders produced by conventional method.The samples produced from nano powders were sintered at lower degrees and with fewer amounts of additive than that of the conventional powders. The results were discussed using the relationship between density, phase composition, microstructure and mechanical properties.