Reversible flash-bonding of zirconia and nickel alloys

A electric field-assisted flash-joining technique of ceramic and metal was shown here. It was demonstrated that when the voltage and current density were higher than critical values, the zirconia ceramic and Ni based superalloy were strongly bonded in as fast as 1 s at 800 °C. Another important advantage of the technique is that the resultant joint can be readily de-bonded by reversing the electric field, which provides significant manufacturing flexibility. The underlying bonding mechanism follows an electric field-induced internal reaction, and the novel method could be extended to a wide range of ceramic-metal systems in principle.