Challenges and opportunities for spark plasma sintering: A key technology for a new generation of materials

Spark plasma sintering (SPS) or pulsed electric current sintering (PECS) is a sintering techni‐ que utilizing uniaxial force and a pulsed (on-off) direct electrical current (DC) under low at‐ mospheric pressure to perform high speed consolidation of the powder. This direct way of heating allows the application of very high heating and cooling rates, enhancing densifica‐ tion over grain growth promoting diffusion mechanisms (see Fig. 1), allowing maintaining the intrinsic properties of nanopowders in their fully dense products.