Transactions of The Indian Ceramic Society 

About: Transactions of The Indian Ceramic Society is an academic journal. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Sintering & Ceramic. It has an ISSN identifier of 0371-750X. Over the lifetime, 1628 publication(s) have been published receiving 4884 citation(s).

Microwave Sintering of Ceramics, Composites and Metallic Materials, and Melting of Glasses

Abstract: Though microwaves have been in use for many applications for over 60 years, their application in ceramic processing involving synthesis, sintering, melting, joining, surface modifications, etc, has developed only in the last twenty years. Microwave materials processing is recognized for many advantages, namely, substantial reduction in cycle time resulting in large energy savings, selective and volumetric heating, providing fine microstructures, improved mechanical properties, and eco-friendliness. In the last two decades, various researchers have worked with a variety of traditional and advanced ceramics such as alumina, zirconia. hydroxyapatites, transparent ceramics, electroceramics, ceramic superconductors, glass-ceramics, non-oxide ceramics including Si3N4, AIN, SiC and WC/Co, etc. In all of these materials, substantial improvements in their properties over conventional products, as well as enhancements in the diffusion and reaction kinetics, were reported. Recently, microwave melting of glasses has ...

Dye Sensitized Solar Cells: A Review

Abstract: The development of dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), which have derived inspiration from photosynthesis, has opened up exciting new possibilities and paradigms for producing solar photovoltaics possibly at lower cost. The dye-sensitized solar cells with moderate power conversion (∼10%) efficiencies can be manufactured under regular lab conditions without needing clean rooms or very specialized facilities. The entire processing need not involve even a single vapour deposition step. The DSSCs can be considered to be electrochemical devices consisting of (a) a photoanode which has a thick film of a wide band gap oxide semiconductor (like TiO2), typically coated on a transparent conductive oxide (TCO) glass substrate, with TiO2 being sensitized with adsorbed dyes that absorb visible light, (b) an electrolyte that establishes the internal electrical continuity between anode and counter electrode and mainly plays the role of regenerating the dye such that the photoexcitation, electron injection and current fl...

Preparation of Silica Aerogel by Ambient Pressure Drying Process using Rice Husk Ash as Raw Material

Abstract: Silica aerogel was prepared from rice husk ash by sol-gel process followed by ambient pressure drying. Silica was extracted from ash as sodium silicate by boiling it in sodium hydroxide solution. Sodium silicate was neutralized with nitric acid to form silica gel. To prepare aerogel, first the pore water of the gel was exchanged by ethanol and then surface modification was done by aging alcogel in tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS)/ethanol solution. Before drying, TEOS/ethanol solvent was exchanged with n-heptane. Capillary stress and shrinkages were greatly reduced due to the low surface tension of n-heptane. The prepaid aerogel was a light and crack-free solid, with bulk de nsity cf 0.67 g.cm−3, porosity of about 80%, total pore volume of 3.1 cm3.g−1 and specific surface area of about 273 m2.g−1. The nature of surface modification and thermal stability of the aerogel was studied by FTIR and DSC/TG respectively.

UV-Visible and Infrared Spectra of Gamma-Irradiated Transition Metals-Doped Lead Borate Glasses

Abstract: The UV-visible spectra of undoped and nominally transition metals (Ti→Cu) doped lead borate glasses have been measured from 200 to 1000 nm before and after various doses of gamma-ray irradiation. In the undoped lead borate glass, strong charge transfer ultraviolet absorption bands are observed which are related mostly to trace iron impurities and the possible sharing of Pb2+ ions. In transition metal (TM) doped glasses, characteristic absorption bands are recorded due to each specific TM ion which may interfere with that due to iron impurities. Gamma (γ-ray) irradiation reveals significant changes depending on the TM ion and some of the ions show retardation effect as observed in the induced bands. The responses of the undoped and TM-doped glasses to γ-ray irradiation are related to the formation of induced colour centers associated with the intrinsic or extrinsic defects in the glasses. The rates of formation or growth behaviour of the various induced defects are believed to approach saturation with prol...

Synthesis and Charcterization of Coupled ZnO/SnO2 Photocatalysts and Their Activity towards Degradation of Cibacron Red Dye

Abstract: A series of coupled ZnO-SnO2 photocatalyst was successfully synthesized in the Zn:Sn molar ratio of 20:1, 10:1, 5:1 and 2:1 via co-precipitation method followed by calcination at different temperatures. The synthesized materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction, diffuse reflectance spectra, scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope. Photocatalytic activitiy of synthesized materials was applied for the degradation of cibacron red dye in aqueous solution under UV-A light irradiation. Experimental results revealed that the coupled ZnO-SnO2 photocatalyst with Zn:Sn molar ratio 10:1, calcined at 600oC for 1 h was the most efficient photocatalyst among synthesized samples for the degradation of cibacron red. Superoxide anion radical (•O2–) was found to be the prominent active species responsible for degradation comparative to hole (h+), hydroxyl radical (•OH).