The porous Mg3Sb2 based compounds with 60~70% of relative density were prepared by powder compaction at room temperature and reactive liquid phase sintering at 1023 K for 4hrs. The stoichiometric Mg3Sb2 compounds were synthesized from elemental Sb and Mg powder in the mixing range of 61~63 at% Mg. The increased scattering effect due to the micro-pores reduced the mobility of the charge carrier and the phonon, which caused the electrical conductivity and the thermal conductivity to decrease, respectively. But the scattering effect was greater for the electrical conductivity than for the thermal conductivity. Excess Mg alloyed in the Mg3Sb2 compounds decreased the electrical conductivity, but had no effect on the thermal conductivity. On the other hand, the large increase of the Seebeck coefficient was the result of a decrease in the charge carrier density due to the excess Mg. Dimensionless figure of merit of the porous Mg3Sb2 compound reached a maximum value of 0.28 at 61 at% Mg. The obtained value was similar to that of Mg3Sb2 compounds having little pores.

In this study, the diffusion behaviors of C and Co in liquid phase sintering of WC-Co system were investigated whether these two components diffused in the same direction in case of having opposite gradient each other with not being phase. The green compacts with controlled compositions in not being of phase and gradient composition which one is WC-5Co-1.2%C, the other is WC-XCo-0.2%C (where X = 5, 10, 15, 20, 25) were sintered at and and then the diffusion behaviors of C and Co were investigated by analyses of compositional change, also determined for microstructure and microhardness. Also, same testing was carried out on the specimens with dual layers sintered in upright and reverse positions to evaluate the effect of gravity on the diffusion in liquid Co. From the results of this study, we can find the fact that the direction of diffusion for C and Co in WC-Co system during liquid phase sintering was different and the effect of gravity for the liquid was insignificant. Also other physical properties were changed on the diffusion of elements.

When an alloy such as Ni-W is liquid phase sintered, heavy solid W particles sedimentate to the bottom of the container, provided that their volume fraction is less than a critical value. The sintering process evolves typically in two stages, diffusiondriven macrosegregation sedimentation followed by true sedimentation. During macrosegregation sedimentation, the overall solid volume fraction decreases concurrently with elimination of liquid concentration gradient. However, in the second stage of true sedimentation, the average solid volume fraction in the mushy zone increases with time. It is proposed that the true sedimentation results from particle rearrangement for higher packing efficiency.

The effect of carbon content on the shape of WC grains dispersed in the Co-rich matrix during liquid phase sintering of WC-35%Co hard metals has been determined. The shape of WC grains was observed using SEM stereography after removing cobalt matrix with boiling hydrochloric acid solution. The WC grains changed from hexagonal to trigonal prism as the carbon content increased in the two-phase region of(WC + - Co), while the morphology of WC grains changed from trigonal to hexagonal shape as the carbon content decreased. The morphology of WC grains changes reversibly along with carbon loss or carbon pick-up. Morphology change of WC grains is attributed to crystal structure of WC, which has an asymmetric array of carbon atoms. There are two types of prismatic planes having different numbers of broken W-C bonds in WC grains. It is scrutinized that as the carbon content increases, the high energy prism planes grow fast and the crystals change from hexagonal to trigonal shape. On the other hand, when the carbon content decreases, the high energy prism planes are dissolved accompanying split of (100) plane into (101) and (101) planes.

Based on the pore filling theory, the microstructure evolution during liquid-phase sintering has been analyzed in terms of interrelationship between average grain size and relative density. For constant liquid volume fraction, the microsturucture trajectories reduced to a single curve in a grain size(x)-density(y) map, regardless of grain growth constant. The slope of curves in the map was inversely proportional to average pore size, while it increased fapidly with liquid volume fraction. Increase in pore volume fraction retarded the densification considerably, but showed marginal effect on the slope. The activation energy of densification was predicted to be the same as that of grain growth as long as the liquid volume fraction is constant for any temperature range studied. The present analyses on microstricture evolution may demonstrate the usefulness of pore filling theory and provide a guideline for process optimization of liquid-phase sintering.