CONTROLLED DISTRIBUTION OF CHEMISTRY IN CERAMIC SYSTEMS

Abstract

A method of the controlling the chemical and physical characteristics of a body formed from a powder precursor, including measuring a predetermined amount of a first particulate precursor material, wherein the first particulate precursor material defines a plurality of respective generally spherical first phase particles, adhering second phase particles to the respective first phase particles to define composite particles, forming the composite particles into a green body, and heating the green body to yield a fired body. The second phase particles adhered to the first phase particles are substantially uniformly distributed and a respective first phase particle defines a first particle diameter that is at least about 10 times larger than the second phase diameter defined by a respective second phase particle. The composite particles define a predetermined composition.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The novel technology relates generally to the materials science, and, more particularly, to a method for controlling the distribution of chemical components in a sintered ceramic body, cermet, metallic body or the like.

BACKGROUND

Ceramic materials are typically prepared from powder precursors and heat treated or sintered such that the individual grains solidify into a solid body. In many cases, the desired composition includes small amounts of a second composition added to enhance the sintering process, such as to decrease porosity or lower the temperature at which the body may be sintered. Small chemical additions, known as dopants, are used to enhance sintering and adjust material properties. These additions are typically added in small amounts, less than 10% and more commonly in the one to two percent level. The distribution of these dopants is typically uncontrolled or ‘left to chance’, insofar as it is done in such a way as to result in a non-uniform distribution of the dopants throughout the compact. Such a non-uniform distribution leads to defects in the resultant compact.

The current approach for introducing dopants falls into two general categories: salt solutions and the use of second phase particles. Salt solutions are initially perfectly mixed, as the salt concentration within the solution should be ideally uniform. As water evaporates from the particle compact, or even within a droplet during a spray-drying process, the salt migrates with the water in the packed particle structure. The last pocket of liquid, be it in the meniscus between two particles or a reservoir within an agglomerate, is where the salt will concentrate. Once the solubility limit is reached, the salt precipitates. If more than one dopant is used, then the precipitation process occurs sequentially, with the lowest solubility salt precipitating first, etc. This can, and does, typically lead to large-scale segregation of the dopants.

In systems which use second phase particles, the dopant particles are often of similar size as the primary material particles. In some cases, the dopants are often several orders of magnitude larger, leading to gross segregation as the system is being milled or mixed. Large dopant particles inherently lead to large-scale segregation and, typically, to having significant excess dopant in the system. Because of large-scale segregation, additional dopant is used to compensate for segregation. This is often leads to inferior or variable material properties after sintering. Thus, there remains a need for a process that more uniformly distributes sintering dopants throughout the sintered body.

Another area of ceramic processing suffering form inhomogeneous distribution of components is wash-coats. Current technology for wash-coats consists of a mixture of ceramic particles, including typically two or more of the following: alumina, silica (quartz and cristobalite), zirconia, and colloidal silica (amorphous silica). All of these particles have different surface chemistries in water, meaning that the surface charges can be opposite on different particles and of different magnitudes. This leads to severe problems in maintaining suspension stability over the lifetime of the slurry pots. When the suspension becomes unstable, often indicated by excessive settling or gelation of the suspension, the pot is discarded, often meaning that several tons of material are simply dumped. Having uncontrolled surface chemistries means that the pH of the suspension shifts and therefore must be adjusted on a daily basis.

One source of loss for investment casting systems is the failure of the shell during the cast, resulting in ceramic shell fragments in the molten metal, resulting in the rejection of the cast and significant financial loss. Slurry processing of the powders to create the composite grains ensures excellent mixing of the component powders, resulting in a significant improvement in the strength of the ceramic shell, thus potentially reduces losses associated with shell failure. Thus, there is a need for a wash-coat system with increased stability over time.

The present novel technology addresses these needs.

SUMMARY

The present novel technology relates generally to ceramic powder processing, and, more particularly, to a method for controlling the distribution of mixtures of ceramic powders at the nano scale. One object of the present novel technology is to provide an improved ceramic material. Related objects and advantages of the present novel technology will be apparent from the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a scanning electron micrographs illustrating uncoated alumina (left) and colloidal silica-coated alumina (right).

FIG. 2 graphically illustrates a suspension of alumina and colloidal silica, both at pH of 3.0-4.5 (±1.0), mixed together according to a first embodiment of the present novel technology.

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates the measured zeta-potential of micron-sized silica and alumina particles as a function of pH in an aqueous medium.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the relative sizes of the alumina and colloidal silica (coating) particles.

FIG. 5 graphically illustrates a calculated maximum dopant particle level (volume %) as a function of primary matrix particle size and dopant particle size assuming spherical particles and monolayer coverage of the dopant particles on the primary matrix particles

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the novel technology, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the novel technology is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated device, and such further applications of the principles of the novel technology as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the novel technology relates.

The present novel technology is illustrated in FIGS. 1A-6 and relates to a method for controlling the distribution of dopants in a sintered body by coating a comparatively large sinterable grain 10 with a substantially smaller grain 15 of an alternative chemistry, thus producing a composite grain 20. The larger particle 10 is referred to as the primary matrix particle and is typically the major component of the to-be sintered ceramic or metal body. The colloidal properties of the composite grain 20 would be controlled by the properties of the smaller, secondary particle shell or coating 25. In systems that have more than one dopant, a situation that is increasingly more common in the ceramic world, either mixed-composition coatings 25 or consecutive coatings 30 may be applied to the primary matrix particle 10.

Small chemical additions, known as dopants, are used to enhance sintering and adjust material properties. These additions are typically added in small amounts, less than 10% and more commonly in the one to two percent level. The distribution of these dopants is typically left to chance, leading to clustering of the dopants and a non-uniform distribution of the dopants throughout the sintered body or compact.

According to the present novel technology, a composite ceramic or other refractory material matrix grain 20 (typically 10-50 μm in diameter) is concentrically coated with a fine-sized, typically nano-scaled, grain of an alternative composition 15, such as an alumina grain 10 coated with colloidal silica grains 15 (see FIG. 1). The composite grains 20 thus exhibit the surface properties of the coating 25 rather than the inner core or primary matrix particle 10, eliminating multiple surface chemistries and promoting a substantial increase in the suspension stability. This configuration also reduces or eliminates the common problem of phase separation and agglomeration of dopant particles 15.

Overview: As the present novel technology relates to the agglomerating of small particles 15 of a first chemistry onto larger particles 10 of a second, different chemistry, the distribution of the smaller particles 15 can be much more uniform and controllable. The result is an engineered particle 20 that consists of selectively agglomerating an ideally-sized, typically ceramic, matrix grain 10 (such as alumina in this example) with a nano-scale particle 15 of another material (such as nano-scale silica particles in this example), thus creating a nano-scale coating 25 over the matrix grain 10 to define a composite particle 20. The composite particle 20 and the method of its production exploits differences in surface chemistry, either naturally occurring (as in the case of alumina and silica) or induced through the use of pH, organic acids and/or bases, surfactants, or dispersants, etc.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, in the system 5 of alumina base particles 10 coated with nanoscale silica particles 15, pH is typically used to govern the agglomeration of silica particles 15 on an alumina particle 10, resulting in a coated particle 20 that now appears to look, in a colloidal sense, like the silica particles 15. The process is that individual suspensions 40, 45 of particulate alumina 10 and colloidal silica 15, maintained at an appropriate pH (typically between pH 3.0 to 5.0), are blended together 50, typically with agitation 55, to allow the silica particles 15 to heterocoagulate 60 on the surface of the alumina particles 10 (FIGS. 1 and 6).

This heterocoagulation 60 is driven by the opposite surface charges between the alumina particles 10 and the colloidal silica particles 15—alumina is positively charged in this pH range, while colloidal silica is negatively charged (see FIG. 3). After coagulation, the pH is adjusted 65, typically through the addition of a pH modifier or buffer 70, such as NaOH, NH₄OH, or the like, to a pH of between about 7.0 and about 9.0, simultaneous with vigorous agitation to prevent localized regions of excessively high pH, to yield a stable suspension 75. Agitation can be accomplished a variety of ways. The increase in pH yields a uniformly negative charge on the colloidal silica coating 25. It is typically advisable to avoid allowing the pH to exceed pH=9.0, as this has the potential to rapidly degrade the suspension stability and consequently the pot lifetime.

The amount of silica 15 necessary to coat the alumina particles 10 can be calculated based on a hexagonal close-packed array of spheres (see FIG. 4C), although this may over-estimate the coating efficiency. It is typical that excess colloidal silica 15 be provided to ensure that all of the alumina particles 10 are coated. The presence of excess colloidal silica 15 typically does not affect the long-term stability of the suspension 75.

It should also be noted that the nano-particle coating 25 does not significantly increase the size of the alumina particle 10, as illustrated schematically in FIG. 4B (and also evident in FIG. 1B). Another approach would be to perform the heterocoagulation step followed by the addition of a cationic polyelectrolyte 80, such as tetraethylamine (TEA) or a similar organic base, to impart a positive surface charge on the composite particles 25 (with the colloidal silica surface). The advantage of the TEA (or similar) approach is that the system 5 will not be sensitive to cations in solution, since the surface charge will be positive instead of negative (as would be imparted by the high-pH approach). It is similarly emphasized, however, that the pH typically be constrained below about 9.0 to ensure long-term stability of the alumina particles 10, although this is less urgent in this case.

Similar charge behavior would be expected of other oxides, carbides, nitrides, or metallic particles in an aqueous medium. The opportunity for heterocoagulation 60 is facilitated by opposite surface charges on the particles 10, 15. In the event of similar surface charge as a function of pH, the use of a surface active agent 80 (such as polyelectrolytes, organic acids, or ionic surfactants) can be employed to alter the surface charge on one of the particles 10, 15 to facilitate heterocoagulation 60. Once the coating process is complete, the charge on the composite particle 25 may then be changed, either by controlling the suspension pH or by the addition of a surface active agent 80, to make the composite particle 20 similarly charged to the primary particle 10 to prevent unwanted agglomeration. For example, the heterocoagulation step 60 may be followed by the addition of a cationic polyelectrolyte 80, such as tetraethylamine (TEA), to impart a positive surface charge on the composite particles 20 (as in the example of alumina particles 10 coated with the colloidal silica particles 15). The advantage of the TEA (or similar) approach is that the resultant suspension 75 will not be sensitive to cations in solution, since the composite particle 20 surface charge will be positive instead of negative (as would be imparted by the high-pH approach).

Composite particles 25 may be extracted 85 from the suspension 75 by any convenient means to provide powder precursors 90 for use in forming green bodies 95. The green bodies are typically formed via any convenient powder processing technique and may then be fired 100 to yield sintered bodies 110.

Controlling Dopant Levels:

Dopant levels can be precisely controlled by the ratio of the size of the dopant particle 15 to that of the primary matrix particle 10. Typically, the dopant particle 15 is sized to be about ten times smaller than the primary matrix particle 10, and a ratio of about 100:1 is even more typical. Through colloidal techniques, specifically the use of stable suspensions 40, 45 controlled either by pH or by the addition of surface active agents 80, agglomeration of the smaller particles 15 is avoided. Furthermore, the use of stable suspensions 40, 45 promotes mono-layer coverage of the dopant particles 15 because the dopant particles 15 that remain in suspension would have a limited driving force for agglomeration on a similarly-charged particle surface.

As the ratio of particle size increases, the potential for extremely small dopant levels becomes possible. For example, if the primary matrix particle 10 were ten (10) microns in diameter (and assumed to be generally spherical), and the dopant particles 15 were twenty (20) nm in diameter, it would be possible to uniformly distribute a dopant level of approximately 0.7% if each primary matrix particle 10 were coated. If the primary matrix particles 10 were 1.0 micron in diameter for the same 20 nm dopant particle 15, the calculated dopant level would be 7.2%. The effect of primary particle size to dopant particle size is tabulated in Table I and illustrated in FIG. 5. These calculations assume that the particles 10, 15 are spherical and also assume a close-packed array of secondary articles 15 on the surface of the primary matrix particle 10.

TABLE 1
Example dopant levels in volume percent as a function of primary matrix
particle size (D) and dopant particle size (10 nm, 20 nm, or 50 nm)
assuming mono-disperse spherical particles.
	Dopant Particle Size
	D	10 nm	20 nm	50 nm
	0.200	18.15	36.30	90.75
	0.500	7.23	14.45	36.13
	1.00	3.62	7.24	18.11
	2.00	1.82	3.63	9.08
	5.00	0.72	1.45	3.61
	10.0	0.36	0.72	1.81
	20.0	0.18	0.36	0.91
	50.0	0.07	0.14	0.36
	100	0.04	0.07	0.18
	200	0.02	0.04	0.09

If smaller dopant levels are required for a given ratio of primary matrix particles 10 and dopant particles 15, a portion of the particles 10 may be coated and the resultant composite particles 20 may then be blended with uncoated primary matrix particles 10. For example, a blend of 50% of 1.0 micron primary matrix particles 10 coated with 20 nm dopant particles 15 to yield composite particles 20 blended with 50% uncoated primary matrix particles 10 would produce a dopant level of 3.6%. It is evident from these discussions that practically any dopant level is possible, ranging from very small (less that 0.1%) to several percent, and even as high as 50% (additions above approximately 15% are not typically considered dopants, but higher addition levels are clearly possible).

If more than one dopant is required, as is common for many ceramic and metal materials, blends of coated primary matrix particles 20, for example some coated with dopant “A” and some coated with dopant “B”, can be produced in the appropriate ratio to uniformly distribute the dopant levels of the two components. If lower dopant levels are desired, these blended particles 10, 20 may be further blended with uncoated primary matrix particles 10 to tailor the dopant chemistry uniquely.

This process is also applicable to the use of several dopants. That is, this technique is not limited to single dopants, or systems requiring two, but could be used for multiple dopants. It is also feasible to concentrically apply the dopant coatings 25, through the appropriate use of colloidal behavior.

The present novel technology represents an excellent opportunity to control the dopant concentration and distribution within ceramic and metallic sintered particle systems. There are a number of potential ceramic systems which would be applicable. These include, among others:

• • i. Al₂O₃ (dopants: MgO, Y₂O₃, TiO₂, SiO₂, glasses, etc.)
  • ii. ZrO₂ (dopants: Al₂O₃, MgO, CeO, Y₂O₃, etc.)
  • iii. ZnO (dopants: Bi₂O₅, CoO, NiO, SbO₂, B₂O₃, etc.)
  • iv. Electronic ceramic materials (ferroelectrics, capacitors, piezoelectrics, etc.)
  • v. Diamond (dopants, such as refractory metals that form carbides): W, Mo, Ta, Nb, Ti, Co, etc.)
  • vi. SiC (dopants: C, Si, Al₂O₃, MgO, TiO₂, etc.)
  • vii. WC, cemented carbides (dopants, Co, Ni, etc.)
  • viii. Si₃N₄ (dopants: Y₂O₃, Al₂O₃, SiC, C, Si, etc.)

While the above discussion relates specifically to coatings 25 formed on small, generally spherical particles 10, the particles 10 may likewise be of non-spherical shape. Further, the coatings may be formed over larger bodies or entities 10, such as metallic catalyst or catalyst support bodies 10 (such as for hydrocarbon cracking or exhaust gas regeneration) and the like. For example, a catalyst support body 20 may be formed, such as from a powder precursor, by measuring a predetermined amount of a first particulate precursor material 10 such as described above and forming the same into a body 10, controlling the pH of the body 10 such that it has a first charge, and adhering a plurality of second phase particles 15 to the body 10 to define a coated body 20. The second phase particles 15 would have a second, opposite charge to the body under these pH conditions, similarly as described above, and would thus be substantially uniformly distributed. The pH of the coated body 20 may then be changed such that it would now carry a first charge.

In another embodiment, the present novel technology relates to a wash-coat system 5 including an engineered grain that is of uniform surface chemistry, eliminating the competing chemistry problem and offering the potential for much greater stability. The pH stabilized suspension 75 described hereinbelow produces a composite particle 20 that is negatively charged in suspension. This has the advantage of simplicity and ease of maintenance, but may also be relatively sensitive to free cations in solution, such as Al³⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, NH₄⁺, and the like. In some systems 5 this sensitivity will not be a problem, depending on factors such as water chemistry, dissolution kinetics of the suspended particles, impurities introduced by the coating of the casting molds, and the like. In systems 5 where such sensitivity poses issues, a cationic polyelectrolyte or like surfactant 80 may be added to impart a positive charge to the shell 25, yielding a colloidal system 5 that is insensitive to cations in solution. This system 5 is likewise more sensitive to anions, such as SO₄²⁻, Cl⁻, NO₃, etc., but these ions are less common and can be more easily avoided.

Additionally, the system 5 can be readily tailored for other applications. The description below is again focused on particulate alumina particles 10 with a colloidal silica coating 25; however, other similar systems are contemplated, such as for zircon particles 10 with colloidal silica shells 25, quartz/cristobalite grains 10 with colloidal alumina coating 15, and the like. Essentially, the novel technology is applicable to any system 5 in which the surface chemistries vary significantly with pH. It is even possible that a dual coating 30 (one coating 25 on top of another coating 25 on a matrix grain 10) may be employed.

In this embodiment, as with the previously discussed embodiment, the present novel technology relates to a method of producing a granular ceramic or metallic composite 25 by coating a comparatively large base ceramic or like grain 10 with a substantially colloidal particle 15 of an alternative chemistry to thus produce a composite grain 20 (as illustrated schematically in FIG. 1 for alumina and silica). The surface properties of the composite grain 20 are then governed by the surface properties of the material 15 making up the shell 25. A specific example would be alumina grains 10 coated with colloidal silica grains 15. The composite grains 20 thus possess the surface properties of the coating material 15 rather than the matrix particle 10, eliminating multiple surface chemistries, and promoting substantial improvement in the suspension stability to thus extend the lifetimes of so-produced coating slurries 75, such as in the investment casting industry. Further, by grading the particle size and incorporating either an intermediate-sized or larger cristobalite particle 67 into the mixture, a wash-coat and/or stucco system 77 may be developed that promotes automatic cracking and destruction of the coating during the cooling of a cast metal piece formed therein by exploiting the β- to α-cristobalite inversion (which typically occurs at 225-250° C.).

A high-performance and suspension stable ceramic grain 20 is thus produced for investment casting wash-coats. For example, the method may be used to produce stucco-coats for investment casting molds. An engineered grain 20 is produced by selectively agglomerating an ideally-sized ceramic matrix grain 10, such as alumina, with a nano-scale particle 15 of another material, such as silica. The result is a nano-scale coating 25 that eliminates multiple surface chemistries and allows the suspension properties to be maintained and stabilized over time, thus substantially prolonging the suspension lifetimes. In the vernacular of the investment casting industry, this technology extends the lifetimes of the slurry “pots”. The incorporation of cristobalite as a third particle 67 would not undermine the suspension stability benefits obtained from the colloidal silica coating 25 on alumina particles 10, since the surface chemistry of colloidal silica and cristobalite are essentially identical. In other words, both are pure silica surfaces and have nearly identical reactions with water when in suspension.

In operation, individual suspensions of alumina particles 10 and colloidal silica particles 15 are maintained at an appropriate pH, typically between pH 3.0 to 4.5 (see FIG. 3) and are blended together 50, typically with agitation 55, to allow the silica particles 15 to heterocoagulate 60 on the surface of the alumina particles 10 (see FIGS. 4A-C and 6). This heterocoagulation 60 is driven by the opposite surface charges between the alumina and the colloidal silica—the alumina is positively charged in this pH range, while the colloidal silica is negatively charged. After composite particles 20 are formed through coagulation 60, the pH of the suspension is adjusted 65, typically through the addition of such buffer chemicals 70 as NaOH, NH₄OH, or the like, to move the pH of the solution to between about 7.0 and about 9.0. Typically, the mixture is simultaneously vigorously agitated to prevent the formation of regions of excessively high pH to yield a stable suspension 77. The increase in pH creates a uniform negative charge on the colloidal silica coating 25, obscuring the surface chemistry of the alumina particles 10 (FIG. 5). Typically, the mixture pH is maintained below about 9.0, as higher pH will potentially reduce the suspension stability and the pot lifetime. The amount of silica 15 typically required to coat the alumina particles 10 can be calculated assuming a hexagonal close-packed array of spheres, although this may over-estimate the coating efficiency. Typically, excess colloidal silica particles 15 are added to ensure that all of the alumina particles 10 are entirely coated. The excess colloidal silica 15 does not significantly affect the long-term stability of the suspension 77.

As with the previous embodiment, the heterocoagulation 60 step may be performed first, followed by the addition of a cationic polyelectrolyte 80, such as tetraethylamine (TEA), to impart a positive surface charge on the composite particles 20 (with the colloidal silica surface shells 25). The advantage of the addition of a cationic polyelectrolyte 80 is that the system 5 will typically not be as sensitive to cations in solution, since the surface charge will be positive instead of negative (as is imparted by the high-pH approach). Again, the pH of the system 5 typically does not exceed about 9.0 to ensure stability of the alumina particles 10.

Typically, fine-grained or coarse-grained cristobalite particles 67 are introduced following the heterocoagulation 60 and stabilization 65 steps and, more typically, are introduced with vigorous agitation. For large grain size cristobalite 67, particle size typically is selected to approximate that of the composite grain 20 (typically 14-16 μm). If a fine-grained cristobalite 67 is chosen, grain size is typically approximately seven times smaller than the composite grain 20, on the order of 2.0 μm. The cristobalite grains 67 are added to exploit the volumetric change in the grains 67 caused by the β- to α-cristobalite inversion (typically at 225-250° C.). This displacive transformation is rapid and reversible, and is sufficiently large to initiate micro-cracking of a coating or body 190 cast or otherwise formed 185 from the slurry or suspension 77, and thus facilitate the coating removal from a cast metal part 210. (See FIG. 6). Typically, larger cristobalite grains 67 are favored for this purpose, although smaller grain sizes will also work. Additionally, fine-grained cristobalite particles 67 provide for better packing by filling in the voids between the larger composite particles 20 and still facilitate cracking 205 of a body 190 formed therefrom upon cooling, thus assisting removal of the ceramic shell 190 by cracking it to pieces 215.

For example, a stucco shell 190 may be formed by casting 185 the slurry 77. The shell 190 may be filled 200 with molten metal 195 to yield a cast metal body 210. The heat of the metal 195 raises the temperature of the cristobalite particles 67 past their transition point, and, upon cooling, the particles 67 once again change phase. The volumetric changes accompanying the phase changes crack the shell 205, causing it to readily crumble into pieces 215 and facilitate easy removal of the cast metal body 210.

While the novel technology has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character. It is understood that the embodiments have been shown and described in the foregoing specification in satisfaction of the best mode and enablement requirements. It is understood that one of ordinary skill in the art could readily make a nigh-infinite number of insubstantial changes and modifications to the above-described embodiments and that it would be impractical to attempt to describe all such embodiment variations in the present specification. Accordingly, it is understood that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the novel technology are desired to be protected.

Claims

1. A method of processing powders, comprising: providing a plurality of first particles of a first composition, wherein the first particles are characterized by a first average size;providing a plurality of second particles of a second composition, wherein the second particles are characterized by a second average size;mixing the first and second particles in an environment wherein the first particles have a first charge and the second particles have a second, opposite charge;substantially coating the first particles with the second particles to yield a plurality of coated particles characterized as having the same effective surface charge sign as the second particles;wherein the second size is substantially smaller than the first size;wherein the second composition is different from the first composition;wherein there are enough second particles to substantially coat substantially all of the first particles.

2. The method of claim 1 and further comprising: adding a buffer to the particles to adjust the pH to be between about 7 and about 9;wherein the first particles are provided in a first suspension;wherein the second particles are provided in a second suspension;wherein mixing the first and second particles is accomplished by mixing the first and second suspensions to yield a third suspension;wherein the third suspension has a pH of between about 3.0 and about 5.0; andwherein the charge of the coated particles is made negative through by adding the buffer to the third suspension.

3. The method of claim 1 and further comprising; adding a cationic polyelectrolyte to the plurality of coated particles to impart a positive surface charge to the coated particles.

4. The method of claim 1 and further comprising: forming a quantity of the coated particles into a green body; andheating the green body to produce a substantially homogeneous body.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the first particles are alumina and wherein the second particles are selected from the group including silica, magnesia, yttria, titania, and combinations thereof.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first particles are zirconia and wherein the second particles are selected from the group including alumina, magnesia, ceria, yttria and combinations thereof.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the first particles are zinc oxide and wherein the second particles are selected from the group including Bi2O5, CoO, NiO, SbO2, boria and combinations thereof.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the first particles are diamond and wherein the second particles are selected from the group including refractory metals that form carbides.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the second particles are selected from the group including W, Mo, Ta, Nb, Ti, Co and combinations thereof.

10. The method of claim 1 and further comprising: forming a quantity of the coated particles into a slurry;mixing cristobalite into the slurry to yield a substantially homogeneous investment casting slurry; andcasting a mold from the slurry.

11. The method of claim 10 and further comprising: filling the mold with molten metal; andcooling the molten metal to yield a cast metal part;wherein the mold cracks apart when the molten metal is cooled.

12. A method of controlling the dopant level of a sintered material, comprising: preparing a first particulate precursor material defining a plurality of respective first phase particles;adhering second phase particles to respective first phase particles to define composite particles;forming the composite particles into a green body; andfiring the green body to yield a fired body;wherein the composite particles are characterized by an outer surface substantially comprised of second phase particles;wherein the composite particles define a predetermined composition; andwherein the second phase is substantially uniformly distributed throughout the green body.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the composite particles include at least about 93 volume percent first phase particles.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the first particles are alumina, the second particles are silica, and wherein before forming the composite particles into a green body, cristobalite is mixed with the composite particles.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the green body is a mold and wherein the green body is heat treated by pouring molten metal thereinto.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the fired green body is a sintered body.

17. A method of the controlling the chemical and physical characteristics of a body formed from a powder precursor, comprising: measuring a predetermined amount of a first particulate precursor material, wherein the first particulate precursor material defines a plurality of respective generally spherical first phase particles;adhering second phase particles to the respective first phase particles to define composite particles;forming the composite particles into a green body; andheating the green body to yield a fired body;wherein the second phase particles adhered to the first phase particles are substantially uniformly distributed;wherein a respective first phase particle defines a first particle diameter that is at least about 10 times larger than the second phase diameter defined by a respective second phase particle; andwherein the composite particles define a predetermined composition.

18. The method of claim 17 and further comprising: adding a predetermined quantity of third phase particles to the composite particles;wherein the third phase particles undergo a reversible phase transformation at a predetermined temperature; andwherein the reversible phase transformation is accompanied by a volumetric shift.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the first phase particles are alumina and wherein the second phase particles are selected from the group including silica, magnesia, yttria, titania, and combinations thereof.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein the first phase particles are diamond and wherein the second phase particles are selected from the group including refractory metals that form carbides.

21. A method of the controlling the characteristics of a body formed from a powder precursor, comprising: measuring a predetermined amount of a first particulate precursor material, wherein the first particulate precursor material defines a plurality of respective generally spherical first phase particles;forming the composite particles into a body;controlling the pH of the body such that it has a first charge;adhering a plurality of second phase particles to the body to define a coated body;wherein the second phase particles have a second, opposite charge;wherein the second phase particles adhered to the first phase particles are substantially uniformly distributed.

22. The method of claim 21 and further comprising: controlling the pH of the coated body such that it has a first charge.