Conventional Spark Plasma Sintering Research Articles

Sintering polycrystalline silicon carbide composite ceramics with ultra-high hardness under high pressure

Silicon carbide (SiC) is an important structural ceramic material, exhibiting exceptional comprehensive properties that are unmatched by metals and other structural materials. In this study, a combination of α-SiC micron powder and β-SiC nanopowder was utilized as precursor materials for high pressure and high temperature (HPHT) sintering. Under a pressure of 5.0 GPa, polycrystalline SiC samples with mixed grain size were sintered within a temperature range from 1000 to 1700 °C, and compared with SiC samples sintered from single micron powder under identical temperature and pressure conditions. The microstructures of the two sets of SiC samples were observed using scanning electron microscopy. Additionally, the stress states and strengthening mechanisms among SiC grains with mixed grain size under HPHT were further analyzed in conjunction with X-ray diffraction results. The polycrystalline SiC composite ceramics sintered at 1700 °C exhibited superior mechanical and thermal properties, achieving a Vickers hardness of 35.2 GPa that is 23.5 % higher than that obtained by conventional spark plasma sintering and even surpassing the hardness of single crystal SiC, demonstrating thermal stability up to 1405 °C in air environment. Transmission electron microscopy was employed to analyze defects and plastic deformation in these samples. The study suggests that the primary strengthening mechanisms of the sintered polycrystalline SiC composite ceramics under HPHT include the increase in micro defects induced by in-situ plastic deformation at elevated temperatures and the effects of high-temperature creep. This study provides new insights into the HPHT sintering of hard materials.

Enhanced physical and mechanical properties of Cu-based nanocomposites with bundled multi-layered carbon nanotubes incorporation: fabrication and comparative analysis via conventional sintering and SPS techniques

The current investigation delves into the influence of incorporating bundled multi-layered graphene sheets, specifically multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), on the microstructure, as well as the physical and mechanical attributes of Cu-based nanocomposites. Various weight percentages (1%, 2%, 3%, and 5%) of MWCNTs were infused into the Cu matrix, and the fabrication of these nanocomposites was conducted through the powder technology route. The fabrication process occurred under an argon atmosphere utilizing both conventional sintering and spark plasma sintering (SPS) techniques. The conventionally sintered Cu-based nanocomposite reinforced with 1% MWCNT exhibited the highest relative density (~86%), hardness (~551.12 MPa), compressive strength (~459 MPa), and outstanding resistance to wear. Conversely, the SPS-fabricated nanocomposite reinforced with the same MWCNT concentration demonstrated the highest relative density (approximately 94.25%) and compressive strength (~688 MPa), while the nanocomposite reinforced with 2% MWCNT displayed the highest hardness (~1178 MPa) and resistance to wear. Notably, a higher concentration of MWCNTs was observed to adversely affect the physical, mechanical, and wear properties of the Cu-MWCNT nanocomposites, irrespective of the chosen sintering technique for their production.

Structures and magnetic properties of Sm2Fe17N3 bulk magnets prepared by spark plasma sintering with dynamic compression

The spark plasma sintering (SPS) method can consolidate powders at low temperatures over a short period. The addition of dynamic compression (DC) can produce bulk materials at lower temperatures. To demonstrate the effect, the study used SPS-DC to consolidate Sm2Fe17N3 powder, which decomposes into α−Fe and SmN phases above 873 K. The SPS-DC method was able to consolidate Sm2Fe17N3 powder into bulk material at 473 K. The Sm2Fe17N3 magnet produced at 473 K by the SPS-DC method showed a relative density of 88 %, comparable to that of the Sm2Fe17N3 magnet produced at 673 K by the conventional SPS method. The Sm2Fe17N3 bulk magnet produced at 473 K by the SPS-DC method exhibited a high coercivity of 9.45 kOe.

Twisted-layer boron nitride ceramic with high deformability and strength.

Moiré superlattices formed by twisted stacking in van der Waals materials have emerged as a new platform for exploring thephysics of strongly correlated materials and other emergent phenomena1-5. However, there remains a lack of research on the mechanical properties of twisted-layer van der Waals materials, owing to a lack of suitable strategies for making three-dimensional bulk materials. Here we report the successful synthesis of a polycrystalline boron nitride bulk ceramic with high room-temperature deformability and strength. This ceramic, synthesized from an onion-like boron nitride nanoprecursor with conventional spark plasma sintering and hot-pressing sintering, consists of interlocked laminated nanoplates in which parallel laminae are stacked with varying twist angles. The compressive strain of this bulk ceramic can reach 14% before fracture, about one order of magnitude higher compared with traditional ceramics (less than 1% in general), whereas the compressive strength is about six times that of ordinary hexagonal boron nitride layered ceramics. The exceptional mechanical properties are due to a combination of theelevated intrinsic deformability of the twisted layering in the nanoplates and the three-dimensional interlocked architecture that restricts deformation from propagating across individual nanoplates. The advent of this twisted-layer boron nitride bulk ceramic opens a gate to the fabrication of highly deformable bulk ceramics.

Rapid preparation of traditional and high-entropy garnet ceramics by SPS at low temperature with ultrafast densification

Spark plasma sintering (SPS) is a fast and efficient method for preparing functional ceramics. This article investigates the phase evolution, thermal expansion and chemical stability of traditional (Y1.2Nd1.8Fe5O12) and high-entropy ((Y, Gd, Sm, Eu, Dy)3Fe5O12) garnet ceramics. Prepared under conventional SPS (50 MPa) conditions at 900–1100 °C. The results indicate that using SPS sintering method can significantly reduce the sintering temperature (1100 °C) and time (3 min) of garnet ceramics. (Y, Gd, Sm, Eu, Dy)3Fe5O12 (1.6 × 10−6 K−1) exhibits superior thermal expansion stability compared to Y1.2Nd1.8Fe5O12 (5.4 × 10−6 K−1). The strong REE-O bond energy and severe lattice distortion of high entropy garnet ceramics hinder the migration and diffusion of cations, resulting in higher leaching resistance of high-entropy garnet ceramics (∼10−7 g m−2 d−1-10−8 g m−2 d−1) compared to traditional garnet ceramics (∼10−5 g m−2 d−1-10−6 g m−2 d−1). Therefore, SPS has broad application prospects in the low-temperature preparation of high-entropy garnet ceramics for immobilization of actinide elements.

Facile Synthesis and the Thermal Properties of Al/Si Composites Prepared via Fast Hot-Pressing Sintering

In this paper, a novel power sintering technique, named fast hot-pressing sintering (FHP), which is able to achieve an ultrahigh heating rate similar to the spark plasma sintering (SPS) technique, but at a much lower cost, was applied to prepare a series of Al/Si composites with different Si volume ratios (12 vol.% to 70 vol.%) to meet the requirements of advanced packaging materials for electronic devices. In contrast to SPS, the FHP oven possesses a safe and budget-friendly current power supply, rather than a complex and expensive pulse power supply, for its heating power. The optimized sintering parameters (temperature, pressure and holding time) of FHP for preparing Al/Si composites were investigated and determined as 470 °C, 300 MPa and 5 min, respectively. In order to characterize the potential of Al/Si composites as packaging materials, thermal conductivities and coefficients of thermal expansion were studied. The thermal conductivity of the Al-40Si composite sintered by the FHP method is higher than that of the conventional SPS method (139 to 107 W m−1 K−1). With the increase in Si, the thermal conductivities and coefficients of thermal expansion on both decreases. Furthermore, the thermal conductivities obey the Agari model, whereas the coefficient of thermal expansion and Si volume ratios obey additivity. The numeric modeling would help develop required packaging materials based on the thermal performances of the substrate materials, like Si or GaAs semiconductor devices.

Additive manufacturing of TiC-based cermets: A detailed comparison with spark plasma sintered samples

The present work is a comparative study on the TiC-430 L ferritic stainless steel (FSS) cermets manufactured via two powder metallurgical processes, namely, conventional spark plasma sintering (SPS) and metal additive manufacturing (AM) process (laser powder-bed fusion process (LPBF)/selective laser melting (SLM)). The rescanning strategy has been used to preheat and melt the powder bed with different laser parameters during the SLM process to suppress the presence of residual thermal stress leading to the fabrication of cermets without cracks. The as-fabricated SPS samples (95 %) show a relatively lower density than the SLM-built parts (~98 %). A study of their mechanical properties such as hardness, compressive strength, and fracture toughness was conducted and discussed in detail. Further, the corrosion behavior of the fabricated cermets parts was evaluated in 3.5 wt% NaCl. The SLM-prepared specimens reveal finer microstructures and better mechanical properties (compressive strength and fracture toughness) due to the presence of fine microstructure. Furthermore, the corrosion current density of TiC-430 L fss-based cermets fabricated by SLM is approximately 270 times lower than that of cermets parts fabricated by SPS, indicating excellent corrosion resistance. On the other hand, the hardness shows an opposite trend, where the SPS samples show the maximum hardness as compared to the SLM counterparts due to the presence of hard and coarse TiC particles along with some metallic carbides formed during the SPS process. The results reveal that AM processes not only can fabricate cermets with intricate shapes but can also fabricate them with improved mechanical and corrosion properties.

Comparison of TiB2–h-BN composites prepared by reactive and conventional spark plasma sintering

Sintering method greatly affects the sintering behavior, microstructure and properties of the ceramic composites. In the present work, TiB2–h-BN composites prepared by reactive spark plasma sintering (RSPS) and conventional spark plasma sintering (CSPS) are compared. Due to the in-situ synthesized TiB2 and h-BN particles during sintering process, the reactive sintering not only inhibits the orientation of TiB2 grains but also prevented the formation of the Card-house structure. TiB2–h-BN composites obtained by RSPS (R series) exhibit higher sintering activity and finer microstructure, which results in better mechanical performance than those prepared by CSPS (C series). As the SPS temperature is 1600 °C, the relative density of the composite in R series is as high as 97.3%, much higher than that (89.3%) in C series. The composite obtained by RSPS at 1600 °C also exhibits excellent mechanical properties with a bending strength of 205.3 MPa and a Vickers hardness of 2.50 GPa, respectively, which exceeds all composites prepared by CSPS at 1600–2000 °C. When the SPS temperature is 1800 °C or above, for both series, the increase of SPS temperature greatly enhances the Vickers hardness but has litter effect on the strength and electrical resistivity, which is attributed to the comprehensive effect of the density increase and microstructure coarsening. The present work indicates that in-situ reactive sintering has obvious advantages in preparing TiB2–h-BN composites with excellent mechanical properties at low temperature.

Thermoelectric properties of higher manganese silicide consolidated by flash spark plasma sintering technique

We investigated thermoelectric properties of higher manganese silicide obtained by the simultaneous use of ball milling and flash spark plasma sintering (FSPS) technique, and the results were compared those of the samples prepared with conventional spark plasma sintering (SPS). Despite the very short sintering process less than 50 s, FSPS samples reproduced well the crystallographic and thermoelectric properties of SPS sample made with long sintering time with more than 3500 s. Notably, the grain growth was significantly suppressed in the FSPS samples, although it has had minor effects on the transport properties.

Co2+:MgAl2O4 saturable absorber transparent ceramics fabricated by high-pressure spark plasma sintering

Single-stage processing of high-quality transparent functional polycrystalline ceramics is desirable but challenging. In the present work, spark plasma sintering (SPS) was employed for fabrication of Co2+:MgAl2O4 saturable absorbers for laser passive Q-switching. Densification of commercial MgAl2O4 powders, doped via co-precipitation, was carried out by conventional SPS and high-pressure SPS (HPSPS) under pressures of 60 and 400 MPa, respectively. The presence of LiF, a common sintering additive, was detrimental to optical properties as it promoted reaction of cobalt with sulfur impurities and the formation of Co9S8 inclusions. Densification by HPSPS without LiF allowed to obtain highly transparent Co2+:MgAl2O4. The optical properties of samples, with doping concentrations varying between 0.01 and 0.1 at.% Co2+, were assessed and saturable absorption was demonstrated at ~1.5 µm wavelength, exhibiting ground-state (σgs) and excited (σes) cross-sections of 3.5×10-19 and 0.8×10-19 cm2, respectively. Thus, it was established that HPSPS is an effective method to fabricate transparent Co2+:MgAl2O4 ceramics.

Fabrication and Evaluation of Low-Cost CrSi2 Thermoelectric Legs

CrSi2 is a promising thermoelectric material constituted of non-toxic and earth abundant elements that offer good perspectives for the mass production of inexpensive and reliable thermoelectric modules for waste heat recovery. Realization of robust metallic contacts with low electrical and thermal resistances on thermoelectric materials is crucial to maximize the conversion efficiency of such a device. In this article, the metallization of an undoped CrSi2 with Ti and Nb using a conventional Spark Plasma Sintering process is explored and discussed. These contact metals were selected because they have compatible thermal expansion coefficients with those of CrSi2, which were determined in this study by X-ray Diffraction in the temperature range 299–899 K. Ti was found to be a promising contact metal offering both strong adhesion on CrSi2 and negligible electrical contact resistance (<1 μΩ cm2). However, metallization with Nb resulted in the formation of cracks caused by large internal stress inside the sample during the fabrication process and the diffusion of Si in the metallic layer. A maximum conversion efficiency of 0.3% was measured for a sandwiched Ti/CrSi2/Ti thermoelectric leg placed inside a thermal gradient of 427 K. The preliminary results obtained and discussed in this article on a relatively simple case study aim to initiate the development of more reliable and efficient CrSi2 thermoelectric legs with an optimized design.

Effect of graphite nanoplatelets on spark plasma sintered and conventionally sintered aluminum-based nanocomposites developed by powder metallurgy

Abstract In this work, aluminum (Al)-based nanocomposites reinforced with graphite nanoplatelets (GnPs) have been fabricated by conventional sintering as well as spark plasma sintering (SPS) techniques, and their microstructure and mechanical properties have been studied. The powder metallurgy (PM) route has been adopted to fabricate the various Al–GnP nanocomposites. Characterization of the powder mixtures and the nanocomposites has been carried out through different characterization techniques, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and Raman spectroscopy. Compressive strength, Young's modulus, density, and Vickers microhardness of the various nanocomposites have also been determined. The HRTEM results show the formation of nonstoichiometric Al4C3 nanoparticles – during both conventional sintering and SPS – at the interface of the Al grains and GnP, which worsen the mechanical properties of the nanocomposites. SPSed nanocomposites show superior mechanical properties due to higher densification, finer grain size, and homogeneous nanofiller dispersion in the Al matrix, compared to the conventionally sintered Al–GnP nanocomposites.

Pressure-assisted sintering and characterization of Nd:YAG ceramic lasers

Spark plasma sintering (SPS) is an advanced one-stage, rapid, near-net shape densification technique combining uniaxial pressure with resistive heating. Various transparent ceramics have been successfully fabricated by SPS, despite the existence of inherent carbon contamination and residual pores. Due to the disk-shape of SPS-processed samples, the technique may be suited for producing thin-disk ceramic laser materials. Nevertheless, an in-depth study of these materials has never been reported. With that goal in mind, the major focus of this study was to characterize the laser performance of Nd:YAG ceramics fabricated by one-stage SPS under conventional (60 MPa) and high (300 MPa) applied pressures. In addition to measuring the lasing slope efficiency and threshold, the passive losses associated with each sample were also evaluated. Surprisingly, it was found that in-line transmittance spectra do not provide accurate predictions of laser performance due to the nature of residual porosity. Moreover, homogeneity and beam quality were assessed, and comparisons were drawn between conventional and high-pressure SPS ceramics. This study lays the groundwork for the future of laser materials fabricated by SPS or similar pressure-assisted techniques.

Comparison of Conventional and Flash Spark Plasma Sintering of Cu–Cr Pseudo-Alloys: Kinetics, Structure, Properties

Spark plasma sintering (SPS) is widely used for the consolidation of different materials. Copper-based pseudo alloys have found a variety of applications including as electrodes in vacuum interrupters of high-voltage electric circuits. How does the kinetics of SPS consolidation for such alloys depend on the heating rate? Do SPS kinetics depend on the microstructure of the media to be sintered? These questions were addressed by the investigation of SPS kinetics in the heating rate range of 0.1 to 50 K/s. The latter conditions were achieved through flash spark plasma sintering (FSPS). We also compared the sintering kinetics for the conventional copper–chromium mixture and for the mechanically induced copper/chromium nanostructured particles. It was shown that, under FSPS conditions, the observed maximum consolidation rates were 20–30 times higher than that for conventional SPS with a heating rate of 100 K/min. Under the investigated conditions, the sintering rate for mechanically induced composite Cu/Cr particles was 2–4 times higher compared to the conventional Cu + Cr mixtures. The apparent sintering activation energy for the Cu/Cr powder was twice less than that for Cu–Cr mixture. It was concluded that the FSPS of nanostructured powders is an efficient approach for the fabrication of pseudo-alloys.

Toward Low-Energy Spark-Plasma Sintering of Hot-Deformed Nd-Fe-B Magnets

High-coercivity Nd-Fe-B permanent magnets are key materials for producing electrical components on the macro- and nanoscale. We present a newly developed, economically efficient method for processing Nd-Fe-B magnets based on spark-plasma sintering (SPS) that makes it possible to retain the technologically essential properties of the magnet, but by consuming about 30% less energy compared to the conventional SPS process. A magnet with an anisotropic microstructure was fabricated from MQU-F commercial ribbons with a low energy consumption (0.37 MJ) during the deformation process and compared to a conventionally prepared hot-deformed magnet that consumed three-times more energy (1.2 MJ). Both magnets were post-annealed at 650°C for 120 min in a vacuum. After the post-annealing process, the low-energy processing (LEP) hot-deformed magnet exhibited a coercivity of 1327 kAm^-1, and a remanent magnetization of 1.27 T. In comparison, the high-energy processing (HEP) hot-deformed magnet had a coercivity of 1337 kAm^-1 and a remanent magnetization of 1.31 T. A complete microstructural characterization and detailed statistical analyses revealed a better texture orientation for the HEP hot-deformed magnet processed with the larger energy consumption. This texture is the main reason for the difference in the remanent magnetization between the two hot-deformed magnets. The results show that although the LEP hot-deformed magnet was processed with three-times less energy than in a typical hot-deformation process, the maximum energy product is only 8% lower than that of a HEP hot-deformed magnet.

Low-Temperature Densification of Nasicon-Type Electrolyte for Bulk-Type All-Solid-State Battery

Submicron particles of Na SuperIonic CONductor (NASICON)-type Li2O-Al2O3-TiO2-P2O5 (LATP) are possible to be densified at low temperature of 300 ºC by applying high pressure of 600 MPa during spark-plasma sintering (SPS) process. This process provides a novel route for assembling bulk-type all-solid-state lithium-ion battery (ASS-LIB), which promises high safety and high durability of energy storages since the origins of flammability and undesirable electrochemical events are prevented by using oxide as an electrolyte instead of the non-aqueous liquid.The main challenge for assembling bulk-type ASS-LIB are how to reduce the sintering temperature of the oxide electrolyte since most of the electrode materials decompose readily at high temperatures. Previously, we have attempted to design LiCoO2-electrode/NASICON-type LiTi2(PO4)3-electrolyte interface by conventional SPS process since quick/low-temperature treatment by the SPS has a possibility for reducing the decomposition kinetically.1 However, the several-μm ion-blocking interphase was easily-produced at the interface. Therefore, further low-temperature technique is required for the design of impurity-free electrode/electrolyte heterointerfaces. Commonly, the low-temperature sinterability of ceramic (or metal) particles could be accomplished with the increase of the contact for active surfaces by reducing particle size and/or applying higher pressure under sintering. Kinemuchi et al. has suggested that the low-temperature densification (LTD) of the oxide was performed by combining the use of nano particles and external pressure of over several-hundred MPa during the SPS.2 The LTDs for lithium-ion conductive oxides have possibilities for producing impurity-free electrode/electrolyte interface, and therefore would be one of the promising techniques for assembling oxide-based bulk-type ASS-LIB.In the present study, we used submicron size of NASICON-type Li2O-Al2O3-TiO2-P2O5 (LATP) powder as high bulk lithium-ion conductive oxides, which have been developed as Lithium Ion Conductive Glass Ceramics; LICGCTM, by OHARA INC..3,4 The densification of the LATP powder compact could be certified at low temperature of 200 - 250 °C under applying a pressure of 600 MPa during the SPS. Generally, the LTDs for oxides were achieved using not submicron particles but nano particles. However, the LTDs of the submicron-size particles could be confirmed in a phosphate group, which includes Li3PO4, AlPO4, and also LATP. Therefore, the bulk-type ASS-LIBs with phosphate-based electrodes such as LiFePO4 and Li2CoPO4F were successfully assembled by the LTD processes because the undesirable-thermal impurities at electrode/electrolyte interface were prevented during the low-temperature treatment. The characterization of LiFePO4/LATP interface and the electrochemical performance of ASS-LIB cell (Li/dry polymer/LATP/LiFePO4) will be presented in the conference.

Spark Plasma Sintering – new technology for obtaining tool materials

Spark Plasma Sintering – new technology for obtaining tool materials. Cemented carbides are a valued tool material used for tools to process, among others, wood-based materials. They are traditionally obtained using high temperatures and long periods. New electric current activated sintering methods make it possible to obtain sinters with good mechanical properties in a short time and low temperature. This paper presents a comparative analysis of conventional and advanced SPS (Spark Plasma Sintering) technology of obtaining cemented carbides.

Ultralow Temperature Densification of a Titanium Alloy by Spark Plasma Sintering

Full densification of a Ti alloy (Ti6Al4V) is achieved at unprecedented low temperatures of 650 °C and 555 MPa by spark plasma sintering (SPS) without any sintering aid. The alloy demonstrates a globular equiaxed microstructure with comparable mechanical properties as that sintered at conventional high temperatures (950 °C, 60 MPa). In contrast with the diffusion‐driven sintering of the Ti alloy at conventional SPS conditions, the near‐full densification (99%) attained at low‐temperature/high‐pressure regimes is attributed to plastic deformation‐driven mass transport processes. Sintering pressures of 555 MPa result in a dislocation dense microstructure and the activation of compressive twins imparting lattice strains of up to 2.86 × 10−3, suggesting a 25% increase in lattice distortions as compared with those sintered at moderate pressures of 60 MPa. Depth‐sensing nanoscale indentation reveals the globular microstructure of the high‐pressure‐sintered alloy to retain its elastic modulus and hardness of 138 and 4.8 GPa, respectively, with <2% deviation from those sintered at conventional SPS temperatures. This energy‐efficient technique proposes an alternative to thermally exhaustive routines and presents an advantage for engineering titanium‐matrix composites with nanofillers and controlled reaction products by reducing processing temperatures by up to 300 °C.

Manufacturing B4C parts with Ti-Al intermetallics by aqueous colloidal processing

The aqueous colloidal processing of submicrometre B4C powder (∼0.6 μm) with coarse Ti-Al powder (∼40 μm) as sintering additive was investigated. Firstly, by measuring the zeta potential, pHs were identified that promote the individual colloidal stability of the B4C and Ti-Al particles as well as their co-dispersion in water with two different deflocculants (one anionic and the other cationic). It was found that the anionic and cationic deflocculants shift the isoelectric points of B4C and Ti-Al to more acidic and more basic pHs, respectively, making their co-dispersion possible at neutral pH. And secondly, by means of rheological studies, conditions were identified (sonication time, deflocculant type, and deflocculant content) that at quasi-neutral pH yield B4C + Ti-Al shear-thinning concentrated suspensions (30 vol.% total solids) with low viscosity and small hysteresis loop. Interestingly, those deflocculated with the cationic polyelectrolyte had better rheological behaviour, being also less viscous and almost non-thixotropic. These suspensions were freeze-dried, obtaining powder mixtures that were compacted by conventional spark plasma sintering (SPS), and also slip-cast, obtaining robust green pieces that were densified by pressureless SPS. The two B4C composites thus obtained are superhard, with Vickers hardnesses greater than 30 GPa.

Reactive, nonreactive, and flash spark plasma sintering of Al2O3/SiC composites—A comparative study

AbstractThe influence of different SPS‐based methods, that is, conventional spark plasma sintering (SPS), flash SPS (FSPS), and reactive SPS (RSPS) on the properties of Al2O3/SiC composite was investigated. It was shown that the application of preliminary high energy ball milling of the powders significantly enhances the sinterability of the ceramics. It was also demonstrated that FSPS provides unique conditions for rapid, that is, less than a minute, consolidation of refractory ceramics. The Al2O3‐20 wt% SiC composite produced by FSPS possesses the highest relative density (~99%), fracture toughness (7.5 MPa m1/2), hardness (20.3 GPa) and wear resistance among all ceramics produced by other SPS‐based approaches with dwelling time 10 minutes. The RSPS ceramics hold the highest Young's modulus (390 GPa). Substitution of micron‐sized Al2O3 particles by nano alumina does not lead to measurable enhancement of the mechanical properties.