Spark Plasma Sintering-A Key Technology towards the Development of New Materials

Dear Colleagues,

Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) and field-assisted consolidation technologies are representing a great opportunity for the production of new materials. Nevertheless, the challenge to achieve properties that cannot be obtained by other conventional methods is strictly related to know-how of this fast sintering process, which permits the production of near full dense materials, using lower temperatures and shorter time. The combination of SPS with severe plastic deformation processes like mechanical milling has been proved to be a suitable route for the development of nano- and ultrafine grained materials. Mechanical alloying with ceramic reinforcement has extended the benefits of SPS to the fabrication of composite materials. Moreover, SPS has also been successfully used for the development of functionally graded materials (FGM) and materials for many other applications.

Aim of this Special Issue is to collect full papers, communications, and reviews reporting original and novel results about SPS and field-assisted consolidation technologies of metals, alloys, and composite materials.

I cordially invite you to send your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Massimo Pellizzari
Guest Editor

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