Fabrication of textured alumina by orienting template particles during electrophoretic deposition

(0 0 1)-Textured α-alumina has been processed by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) and templated grain growth. The mechanism of platelet template orientation during EPD was examined with respect to the impact of the electric field force, gravity and hydrodynamic force in two different deposition cells with vertically or horizontally positioned deposition electrodes. A sharp (0 0 1) ‘fibre texture’ was obtained after templated grain growth during sintering of a deposit formed from a stirred 5 vol% platelet containing suspension in a vertical deposition cell. The texture was characterized by means of the Lotgering factor, texture index and electron backscattering diffraction (EBSD).