Open Access

Um die Langzeitbeständigkeit von Hochtemperatur-Festoxidbrennstoffzellen (SOFC) sicherzustellen, ist das grundlegende Verständnis der viskosen Schließung oder Heilung von Rissen, als Folge wechselnder thermischer oder mechanischer Belastung, in Gläsern und teilkristallinen Materialien ein entscheidender Faktor. In Glas ist die Rissheilung hauptsächlich durch viskoses Fließen bestimmt. In teilkristallinen Schmelzen bewirkt der kristalline Volumenanteil die Erhöhung der effektiven Viskosität. Um die Auswirkungen des kristallinen Volumenanteils auf die Rissheilung zu ergründen, wurden Glasmatrixkomposite mit variierten inerten kristallinen Fülleranteilen, die während der Wärme-behandlung konstant blieben, hergestellt. Verwendet wurde ein kristallisationsträges Natrium-Calcium-Silicatglas und ZrO2 als inerter Füller. Komplexe, reproduzierbare Rissstrukturen wurden durch Vickers-Eindrücke erzeugt und die viskose Rissschließung während isothermer Wärmebehandlungs-schritte mittels Laser-Scanning-Mikroskopie verfolgt. Die Untersuchungen zeigen, dass, verglichen zum füllerfreien Glas, der kristalline Phasenanteil die effektive Viskosität erhöht und dadurch großräumiges Fließen verlangsamt. Dies verzögert das Aufweiten der Risse. Dieser Effekt erschwert die Rissverkürzung und führt oftmals zu großen gerundeten Kavitäten und dadurch zu einer verzögerten Rissschließung. Wird dieses Aufweiten verringert, ist zunächst ein lokales viskoses Fließen der Restglasphase weiterhin gegeben, sodass sich die Risse sogar schneller schließen. Für kristalline Anteile > 27 Vol% bildet sich dann ein stabiles Perkolationsgerüst aus, das die weitere Rissschließung auch lokal unterbindet. Nur innerhalb größerer glasiger Bereiche ist hierbei noch eine Rissschließung zu beobachten. Ein Optimum der Risslängenverkürzung konnte bei 17 Vol% beobachtet werden.

Customized artificial bone replacement implants made of resorbable bioactive glass (BG) have not yet become widely accepted in clinical use. This is mainly due to the contrariness of sintering ability and appropriate bioactivity. Concurrent crystallization often prevents the generation of dense sinter bodies, especially for additive manufactured 3D scaffolds. The presented study investigates the limits and advantages of crystallization of powder compacts manufactured by binder jetting and uniaxial pressing for different particle size fractions (psf) of two BGs.

The manufacture of sintered glasses and glass-ceramics, glass matrix composites, and glass-bounded ceramics or pastes is often affected by un-expected gas bubble formation also named foaming. Against this background, in this presentation the main aspects and possible reasons of foaming are shown for completely different glass powders: a barium silicate glass powders used as SOFC sealants, and bioactive glass powders using different powder milling procedures. Sintering and foaming were measured by means of heating microscopy backed up by XRD, differential thermal analysis (DTA), vacuum hot extraction (VHE), optical and electron microscopy, and infrared spectroscopy, and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). Different densification was reached followed by significant foaming starting partly immediately, partly at higher temperature. Foaming increased significantly as milling progressed. For moderately milled glass powders, subsequent storage in air could also promote foaming. Although the milling atmosphere significantly affects the foaming of uniaxially pressed powder compacts sintered in air. VHE studies show that foaming is driven by carbon gases and carbonates were detected by Infrared spectroscopy to provide the major foaming source. Carbonates could be detected even after heating to 750 °C, which hints on a thermally very stable species or mechanical trapping or encapsulating of CO2. Otherwise, dark gray compact colors for milling in isopropanol indicate the presence of residual carbon as well. Its significant contribution to foaming, however, could not be proved and might be limited by the diffusivity of oxygen needed for carbon oxidation to carbon gas.

Fundamental understanding of crack healing in glassy crystalline materials is very important for many applications, especially for sealing solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) since cracks caused by sealing or thermal cycling still remain a substantial bottleneck in developing durable SOFC. Previous studies on soda lime silicate glass [Sin14] showed that crack healing is driven by viscous flow and that healing progress is proportional to time t and inverse viscosity η. This finding would allow to present healing data of a given glass for different temperatures in a master curve healing progress versus t/η. Such master curves would be a helpful tool in understanding crack healing kinetics. Against this background, crack healing in non-crystallizing sodium calcium silicate (NCS) and sodium borosilicate glasses (NBS) have been studied. Moreover, to evaluate the influence of micros structure in crystallized glass on crack healing process, glass matrix composites (GMC) where prepared out of NCS and zirconia as inert ceramic filler material mimicking a partially crystalline micro structure. Cracks were generated by Vickers indention and healed isothermally at different temperatures. Crack healing progress was monitored by optical and electron microscopy. Results show that the above mentioned proportionality actually applies for the studied glasses for which such a master curve could be obtained. In comparison to a non-crystallized glass, the effective viscosity of GMC is increased by rigid filler content. This effect substantially retards crack broadening during later healing stages, which often ends up in large pores. On the other hand, local viscous crack healing is still possible in larger glassy regions. This behavior seems to be very interesting for crack healing optimized sealants.

Fundamental understanding of crack healing in glassy crystalline materials is very important for many applications, especially for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) sealants since cracks caused by mechanical stress or thermal cycling still remain a substantial bottleneck in developing durable SOFC. Previous studies on soda lime silicate glass published by Singh showed that crack healing is driven by viscous flow. There he postulated that the healing progress is proportional to time, t, and the inverse viscosity. This finding would allow to present for a given glass data of crack healing measured at different temperatures in a master curve, if the healing progress is plotted versus t/η. Such master curves would be a helpful tool in understanding crack healing kinetics. To verify the applicability of such master curves, crack healing in non-crystallizing soda-lime-silicate (NCS) and sodium-borosilicate glasses (NBS) was studied. Cracks were generated by Vickers indention and healed isothermally at different temperatures. Crack healing progress was monitored by optical and electron microscopy. The results show that the above mentioned proportionalities applies to the two glasses. In both cases the afore developed master curve could be obtained.