ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the desirable characteristics that a powder should possess for the production of successful ceramics and then consider some of the main methods used for the synthesis of ceramic powders. In practice, the choice of a powder preparation method will depend on the production cost and the capability of the method for achieving a certain set of desired characteristics. The chapter divides the powder synthesis methods into two categories: mechanical methods and chemical methods. Chemical methods are generally used to prepare powders of advanced ceramics from synthetic materials or from naturally occurring raw materials that have undergone a considerable degree of chemical refinement. Some of the methods categorized as chemical involve a mechanical milling step as part of the process. The process in which small particles are produced by reducing the size of larger ones by mechanical forces is usually referred to as comminution.
