1 Corresponding Author: A. R. Boccaccini Tel: 44 207 594 6731, Fax: 44 207 594 6757 E-mail: a.boccacciniimperial.ac.uk Fig. 1. Schema showing various particulate processing methods, dimensional ranges of application with current technologies and area covered by this review modified after Van Tassel 8 . 1 Journal of the Ceramic Society of Japan 114 [1] 1–14 (2006) Review péÉÅá~ä fëëìÉ Äó dìÉëí bÇáíçêëW kçîÉä j~íÉêá~äë aÉëáÖå ~åÇ mêçÅÉëëáåÖ Äó bñíÉêå~ä ~åÇ fåíÉêå~ä oÉ~Åíáçå cáÉäÇë qÜÉ bäÉÅíêçéÜçêÉíáÅ aÉéçëáíáçå çÑ fåçêÖ~åáÅ k~åçëÅ~äÉÇ j~íÉêá~äë ^ oÉîáÉï Aldo R. BOCCACCINI, Judith A. ROETHER, Boris J. C. THOMAS, Milo S. P. SHAFFER, Esther CHAVEZ, Erick STOLL and E. Jane MINAY Department of Materials, Imperial College London, London SW7 2BP, UK Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK Surface Finishing Department, CIDETEC, 20009 Donostia, San Sebastian, Spain Institute of Materials Technology, Technical University of Ilmenau, D-98693 Ilmenau, Germany Electrophoretic deposition EPD is gaining increasing interest as a processing technique for production of nov- el inorganic nanostructured and nanoscale materials, including the use of nanoparticles, nanotubes, nanorods and related nanomaterials. Recent advances in the electrophoretic deposition of a great variety of ceramic and metallic nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes and other inorganic nanoscaled materials are discussed in this review. The purpose of the paper is to demonstrate the utility of an applied electric field to manipulate and control the deposition of electrically charged nanoscaled particles and other nanostructures on solid surfaces from liquid suspensions. A wide range of applications has been reviewed, demonstrating the high versatility and suitability of the EPD technique as a convenient nanotechnology processing tool. Nano-enamels and structural coatings, elec- trodes and films for fuel cells, capacitors, sensors and other microelectronic devices, fibre-reinforced and graded ceramic composites, nanostructured films and coatings for electronic, biomedical, optical, catalytic and elec- trochemical applications are some of the examples discussed. The combination of sol–gel methods and EPD for production of a variety of nanomaterials is also reviewed. Received September 22, 2005; Accepted November 17, 2005 Key-words : Electrophoretic deposition, Nanoparticles, Carbon nanotubes, Ceramic processing, Sol–gel, Com- posite materials, Coatings, Thick films, Porous materials, Functional coatings 1. Introduction E LECTROPHORETIC deposition EPD, a traditional processing method in the ceramic industry, 1 is gaining increasing interest both in academia and in the industrial sector for production of new materials. 2–7 Consequently, a wide range of novel applications of EPD in the processing of advanced monolithic materials, composites and coatings is emerging. The interest in the EPD technique is based not only on its high versatility to be used with different materials and combinations of materials but also because EPD is a cost- effective method usually requiring simple equipment. With EPD particulate deposits can be made in seconds on suitable surfaces of planar or more complex geometry. Moreover EPD has a high potential for scaling up to large product volumes and sizes, as well as to a variety of product shapes and 3D complex structures. 2–7 EPD is achieved via the motion of charged particles dis- persed in a suitable liquid towards an electrode under an applied electric field. Deposit formation on the electrode occurs via particle coagulation. Electrophoretic motion of charged particles during EPD results in the accumulation of particles and formation of a homogeneous and rigid deposit at the relevant electrodes. The potential of the EPD technique for the realization of unique microstructures and novel and complex materials combinations in a variety of shapes and dimensions is being increasingly appreciated by materials scientists and tech- nologists. This growing interest in EPD both in the academic and industrial communities has prompted the organization of two international conferences in the last three years, which focused entirely on the application of EPD in materials processing. 7 EPD has been recognized as the most versatile technique for particulate processing in terms of the wide range of dimensions it can be applied to, for example in terms of the thickness of deposits it can produce, as compared to other powder processing routes, and due to its applicability to nanoparticles and nanopowder assembly, 8 as schematically shown in Fig. 1. The synthesis and characterization of nanoscale materials and nano-structures are current areas of active research and development worldwide. 9 The main focus of basic research