Tin dioxide is a wide band semiconductor, with interesting chemical physical and mechanical properties, used in a variety of industrial, domestic, medical and agricultural applications, including gas detectors, transparent conductors, solar cells, anti-static films, nanoelectronic devices etc. The variety of nanosized SnO2 production methods in the form of powders or layers (e.g. solid state, sol-gel, sputtering, laser ablation, template, solution precipitation, precursor oxidation, CVD, PVD, etc) are discussed.
Although structural kaolin based ceramics are attractive and useful materials, having
good mechanical characteristics, low density, good corrosion and high temperature resistance, their
use is restricted by their brittle behaviour. In order to improve their properties and mainly strength,
toughness and high temperature performance, fibre composite ceramics have been developed. In the
present work a series of kaolin-short random dispersed Grafil carbon fibre composites were
produced and sintered in an inert atmosphere of Argon at 1000oC and 1300oC and characterised
using various techniques. XRD analysis of the kaolin matrix at 1000oC showed that the crystalline
phases were decomposed without the formation of mullite a fact which also reconfirmed by SEM
examination. However at 1300oC mullite formation was well evidenced. XRD analysis of the fibres
in “as received” showed that they have graphite structure which was also retained, as SEM
examination revealed, after sintering. Examination of the Grafil fibres showed that they were quite
uniform in length and diameter and retained their integrity after sintering at the examined
temperatures. Examination the fractured composite surfaces showed only a weak bond between
fibres and matrix and at the pull out areas the fibres were replicated in the matrix.
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