Interface Engineering and Integration of Ceramic-Polymer Composites via Cold Sintering Process

Integrating polymers into ceramics can combine key properties, promote the emergence of new functionalities, and alleviate flaws in ceramic materials. Fabrication, however, of ceramic-polymer composites, particularly polymer-in-ceramic matrix composites, is a long-standing challenge due to the substantial processing temperature disparity between polymers and ceramics. Cold sintering is an emerging technology that applies uniaxial pressure and a transient solvent to reduce the ceramic sintering temperature by approximately an order magnitude, down to about 100-200 oC from 1000 to 1500 oC that is typical with traditional sintering methods. As such, cold sintering provides new opportunities for combining ceramics and polymers. This review delves into the current status, understanding, and application of cold sintering, and highlights various examples of ceramics and polymers employed. Quality control and surface engineering can be achieved by tuning the polymer chemistry and composition in the composite. Moreover, we propose that the potential of cold sintering remains largely underexplored, and we discuss opportunities for ceramic-polymer composites, including scale-up possibilities and the potential for recycling to advance an eco-manufacturing process. As our understanding of the cold sintering process continues to advance, it promises to unlock significant breakthroughs in producing ceramic-polymer composites in the future.