Researchers at the University of North Carolina have developed a new method for shaping ceramics by using an electric field, thus requiring less energy than traditional methods.

Electric field to move crystals
Ceramic is a common feature in computer found in the package of chips, fuel cells, etc. The principle being identified by scientists based on the presence of grain boundary, a crystalline defects present in the ceramic, which is the meeting of crystals composed of atoms aligned in different directions.

The use of an electric field interacts with the charges present at the grain boundaries, allowing the crystals to slide against each other along these joints, thus facilitating the deformation of the material. The researchers obtained a "super plastic" able to be shaped at will without recourse to a significant amount of energy.

Results reaching
Specifically, the factories producing ceramic parts can design them while reducing the environmental impact and costs of production. The research, funded by the Bureau of Research of the U.S. Army, has been published in the journal Philosophical Magazine.