A process for producing a thick film with a precursor microstructure of relatively large free-volume comprising the steps of: forming a powder comprised of elements, alloys, or compounds, with particle sizes of the initial constituents of such size that a layer of the powder can be formed on a substrate; the process characterised by: combining said powder with a vehicle which is capable of being volatilized at an elevated temperature without residue, and a thinning agent, also capable of being volatilized, to form a paste of desired viscosity as a means of depositing said powder, where the volume ratio of powder and vehicle allows most of the particles to be in partial contact with one another; depositing said paste to form a layer by screen printing, stencil printing, spraying, or by any other suitable means that can form a layer of the particles within the vehicle on a substrate with said vehicle capable of being volatilized; drying said layer at a relatively low temperature to volatilize and remove the thinning agent; sintering said layer while simultaneously volatilizing and removing said vehicle in the paste such that, most if not all the vehicle, within the paste leaves free volume within the layer, and wherein said particles become an interconnected microstructure within the layer, and thereby capable of supporting itself structurally in layered form, and is of sufficient structural stability for further processing; pressing said sintered layer at desired and sufficient pressure so as to provide a desired densification in the layer to reduce the high free volume to obtain desired material properties after densification, thereby producing a thick film. forming a powder comprised of elements, alloys, or compounds, with particle sizes of the initial constituents of such size that a layer of the powder can be formed on a substrate; the process characterised by: combining said powder with a vehicle which is capable of being volatilized at an elevated temperature without residue, and a thinning agent, also capable of being volatilized, to form a paste of desired viscosity as a means of depositing said powder, where the volume ratio of powder and vehicle allows most of the particles to be in partial contact with one another; depositing said paste to form a layer by screen printing, stencil printing, spraying, or by any other suitable means that can form a layer of the particles within the vehicle on a substrate with said vehicle capable of being volatilized; drying said layer at a relatively low temperature to volatilize and remove the thinning agent; sintering said layer while simultaneously volatilizing and removing said vehicle in the paste such that, most if not all the vehicle, within the paste leaves free volume within the layer, and wherein said particles become an interconnected microstructure within the layer, and thereby capable of supporting itself structurally in layered form, and is of sufficient structural stability for further processing; pressing said sintered layer at desired and sufficient pressure so as to provide a desired densification in the layer to reduce the high free volume to obtain desired material properties after densification, thereby producing a thick film. combining said powder with a vehicle which is capable of being volatilized at an elevated temperature without residue, and a thinning agent, also capable of being volatilized, to form a paste of desired viscosity as a means of depositing said powder, where the volume ratio of powder and vehicle allows most of the particles to be in partial contact with one another; depositing said paste to form a layer by screen printing, stencil printing, spraying, or by any other suitable means that can form a layer of the particles within the vehicle on a substrate with said vehicle capable of being volatilized; drying said layer at a relatively low temperature to volatilize and remove the thinning agent; sintering said layer while simultaneously volatilizing and removing said vehicle in the paste such that, most if not all the vehicle, within the paste leaves free volume within the layer, and wherein said particles become an interconnected microstructure within the layer, and thereby capable of supporting itself structurally in layered form, and is of sufficient structural stability for further processing; pressing said sintered layer at desired and sufficient pressure so as to provide a desired densification in the layer to reduce the high free volume to obtain desired material properties after densification, thereby producing a thick film.