Abstract
The controlled development of texture has recently become a topic of interest in ceramic processing, since it allows improved tailoring of the properties of a material. Anisotropic susceptibilities of feeble magnetic ceramics such as Al2O3 and ZnO are quite small. It is generally difficult to apply a magnetic field effectively in order to rotate fine feeble magnetic particles, since fine particles tend to spontaneously agglomerate due to strong attractive interactions (van der Waals forces). It is necessary to disperse the particles in a suspension in order to effectively utilize a magnetic field to rotate the particles. Colloidal processing is a powerful technique for controlling the stability of particles in a suspension. This processing can be used for production of textured ceramics with complex shapes by near-net-shape slip casting. In addition, the direction of textured polycrystalline can be controlled by the direction of the applied magnetic field.
