Correlation of Intergranular Amorphous Structures on Multi-levelled Phase Relationship in Sialon Ceramics: Retrospect and Prospect

Phase diagram in Sialon ceramics and intergranular amorphous films in Si 3 N 4 ceramics, are two successful aspects for fundamental studies in ceramic as an independent discipline.Although differing only in secondary compositions, the small gap in stoichiometry between the two systems divides structure, scale and scope in ceramic research.Started from this century, a series of analytical TEM methodology to probe into local composition within individual grains and even inside grain-boundaries have been developed.This provides the possibility to unify the phase diagram and intergranular structure in Sialon ceramics, especially for them to connect and correlate into a multi-levelled structure framework, which can develop not only an alternative approach to study phase transformation, but also a hierarchical structure-property relationship that serves the full-life circle of ceramic materials.