The use of ellectrophoretic deposition for the fabrication of ceramic matrix composites

Electrophoretic deposition (EPD) is a simple and cost-effective method for fabricating high-quality fibre reinforced ceramic matrix composites. In this application, EPD is used to infiltrate 2- or 3-dimensional fibre architectures with nanosized ceramic particles. The use of the EPD technique to fabricate fibre reinforced ceramic and glass matrix composites is revised in this paper, highlighting its advantages and limitations. The analysis of the literature reveals the great variety of fibre and matrix combinations that have been explored, including SiC, carbon, stainless steel and oxide ceramic fibre architectures and silica, borosilicate glass, alumina, zirconia, mullite, titania, hydroxyapatite, SiC and Si(3)N(4) matrices. Most experimental results show that if the correct process parameters are chosen, firm ceramic deposits well adhered to the fibres can be produced, which lead to pore-free composites after post EPD heat-treatment. EPD is a versatile method for near-net shape fabrication of 3-D composites of non-planar shapes. Future R&D efforts should concentrate on the production of complex shape composite components, for which the EPD technique may represent the most technically viable and cost-effective fabrication option.