Development trend of spark plasma sintering

Spark plasma sintering (SPS) is a type of novel fast sintering technology, which is characterized by high heating rate, short sintering period and high efficiency. It facilitates plasma discharge generated by transient high-energy pulse electric current among powder particles to prepare high-performance materials. Development in sintering apparatus, sintering technique and the technical principle of SPS are reviewed. Influences of sintering parameters on the properties and microstructure of the materials fabricated by SPS technique are analyzed. Application of SPS technique in synthesis of novel materials and its prospect of development are introduced.