Visualization of the Final Stage of Sintering in Nanoceramics with Atomic Resolution

The deep understanding of the sintering mechanism is pivotal to optimizing denser ceramics production. Although several models explain the sintering satisfactorily on the micrometric scale, the extrapolation for nanostructured systems is not trivial. Aiming to provide additional information about the particularities of the sintering at the nanoscale, we performed in situ experiments using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). We studied the pore elimination process in a ZrO₂ thin film and identified a high anisotropic pore elimination. Interestingly, there is a redistribution of the atoms from the rough surface in the solid-gas surface, followed by the atom attachment in a faceted surface. Finally, we found evidence of the pore acting as a pin, reducing the GB mobility. These findings certainly can contribute to enhance the kinetic models to describe the densification process of systems at the nanoscale.