Effect of humidity on the thermal conductivity of porous zirconia ceramics

This study focuses on the role of the water content on the effective thermal conductivity of porous ceramics placed in different conditions of relative humidity. Fully stabilized zirconia samples with variation in the capacity to take up water were prepared by varying the temperature of the thermal treatment. The pore volume fraction of the dried samples decreases from 56% down to 30%. Thermal conductivity measurements were made on samples placed in a chamber where the relative humidity was fixed between 3% and 99%. For all samples, the experimental values of the effective thermal conductivity increase significantly with the water content. Experimental results agree closely to analytical predictions based on the upper limit of the Hashin and Shtrikman expressions for calculating the thermal conductivity of the pores (constituted by air and water) and Landauer's effective medium expression for calculating the effective thermal conductivity of the material.     

Enhancing the thermal insulating properties of lanthanum zirconate porous ceramics via pore structure tailoring

The potentially useful role of lanthanum zirconate (La₂Zr₂O₇, LZO) porous bulk ceramics has been rarely explored thus far, much less the optimisation of its pore structure. In this study, LZO porous ceramics were successfully fabricated using a tert-butyl alcohol (TBA)-based gelcasting method, and the pore structures were tailored by varying the initial solid loading of the slurry. The as-prepared ceramics exhibited an interconnected pore structure with high porosity (67.9 %–84.2 %), low thermal conductivity (0.083–0.207 W/(m·K)), and relatively high compressive strength (1.56–7.89 MPa). The LZO porous ceramics with porosity of 84.2 % showed thermal conductivity as low as 0.083 W/(m·K) at room temperature and 0.141 W/(m·K) at 1200 °C, which is much lower than the counterparts fabricated from particle-stabilized foams owing to its unique pore structure with a smaller size, exhibiting better thermal insulating performance.     

Preparation of porous diatomite ceramics by an alkali treatment near room temperature

Porous diatomite ceramics were prepared by alkali treatment of the raw powder without any sintering procedure. The alkali treatment was carried out by dissolution of the surface by KOH solution to form solid crosslinking among the powder particles near room temperature. The effect of the amount and concentration of KOH solution on the properties of the porous diatomite ceramics was investigated. Variation of the treatment factors was found to be effective for controlling properties such as porosity, strength and thermal conductivity. Mixing a larger amount of high-concentration KOH solution with the raw powder could promote dissolution and the formation of thicker necks between particles by solid crosslinking. The resultant porous diatomite ceramics showed comparable compressive strength and thermal conductivity to those of sintered materials. The proposed method is therefore a useful tool for the preparation of high-performance porous ceramics near room temperature.     

Effects of pore structure on thermal conductivity and strength of alumina porous ceramics using carbon black as pore-forming agent

In the present work, carbon black (CB) works as a pore-forming agent in the preparation of alumina porous ceramics. The pore structures (i.e. mean pore size, pore size distribution and various pores size proportions) were characterized by means of Micro-image Analysis and Process System (MIAPS) software and mercury intrusion porosimetry. Then their correlation and thermal conductivity as well as strength were determined using grey relation theory. The results showed that the porosity and mean pore size increased against the amount of CB, whereas the thermal conductivity, cold crushing strength and cold modulus of rupture reduced. The <2 μm pores were helpful for enhancing the strength and decreasing the thermal conductivity whereas the >14 μm pores had the opposite effects.     

Effect of the addition of polyvinylpyrrolidone as a pore-former on microstructure and mechanical strength of porous alumina ceramics

The effect of the solvent on the properties of porous alumina ceramics was studied when polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) was used as an organic pore-former. In particular, porous alumina ceramics were produced by dry-pressing of mixed PVP–alumina powder; the mixing of PVP and alumina powder was achieved via ball milling using water or acetone as solvent, or dry ball milling. Due to the different solubility of PVP in water and acetone, porous alumina ceramics with different pore structures and mechanical properties were obtained. Because of its cylindrical pores being aligned to some extent, the sample prepared using acetone as solvent exhibited the highest bending strength (140.2 MPa) and Young's modulus (57.4 GPa), which were 1.6 times and 3.4 times higher compared to that prepared without PVP. Moreover, the addition of PVP via wet ball milling led to more uniform dispersion of PVP in alumina, hence limiting the grain growth during sintering process and increasing the grain bonding.     

Effect of pore structure on gas permeability constants of porous alumina

Porous alumina was fabricated using different particle size, sintering temperature, and particle size and content of poly (methyl-methacrylate) (PMMA) as pore former. The Forchheimer equation was used to investigate the relationship between porosity and average pore size, and obtain the permeability constants k₁ and k₂ (the viscous effect and the inertial effect, respectively). Compared to Darcy's law, the Forchheimer equation established a more realistic and reliable relationship between fluid pressure and fluid velocity. k₁ and k₂ were found to be more sensitive to the average pore size than to the porosity of alumina. Moreover, reliable relationships were confirmed between the average pore size and k₁, k₂, and their ratio (k₁/k₂).     

Fabrication of wood-like porous silicon carbide ceramics without templates

The porous silicon carbide ceramics with wood-like structure have been fabricated via high temperature recrystallization process by mimicking the formation mechanism of the cellular structure of woods. Silicon carbide decomposes to produce the gas mixture of Si, Si₂C and SiC₂ at high temperature, and silicon gas plays a role of a transport medium for carbon and silicon carbide. The directional flow of gas mixture in the porous green body induces the surface ablation, rearrangement and recrystallization of silicon carbide grains, which leads to the formation of the aligned columnar fibrous silicon carbide crystals and tubular pores in the axial direction. The orientation degree of silicon carbide crystals and pores in the axial direction strongly depends on the temperature and furnace pressure such as it increases with increasing temperature while it decreases with increasing furnace pressure.     

Porous anorthite ceramics with ultra-low thermal conductivity

Porous anorthite ceramics with an ultra-low thermal conductivity of 0.018 W/m K have been fabricated by hydrous foam-gelcasting process and pressureless sintering method using γ-alumina, calcium carbonate and silica powders as raw materials. Microstructure and phase composition were analyzed by SEM and XRD respectively. Properties such as porosity, pore size distribution and thermal conductivity were measured. High porosity (69–91%) and low thermal conductivity (0.018–0.13 W/m K) were obtained after sintering samples with different catalyst additions at 1300–1450 °C. Porosity, pore size, pore structure and grain size had obvious effect on heat conduction, resulting in the low thermal conductivity. The experimental thermal conductivity data of porous anorthite ceramics were found to be fit well with the computed values derived from a universal model.     

Synthesis of hierarchically porous mullite ceramics with improved thermal insulation via foam-gelcasting combined with pore former addition

ABSTRACT

To further improve the thermal insulation performance of porous mullite ceramics used in important industrial sectors, a combined foam-gelcasting and pore-former addition approach was investigated in this work, by which hierarchical porous mullite ceramics with excellent properties, in particular, thermal insulation property, were prepared. Both mesopores (2–50?nm) and macropores (117.8–202.7?μm) were formed in porous mullite ceramics resultant from 2?h firing at 1300°C with various amounts of submicron-sized CaCO₃ pore former. The former mainly arose from the decomposition of CaCO₃, and the latter from the foam-gelcasting process. The porous samples prepared with CaCO₃ addition had low linear shrinkage of 2.35–4.83%, high porosity of 72.98–79.07% and high compressive strength of 5.52–14.82?MPa. Most importantly, they also exhibited a very low thermal-conductivity, e.g. 0.114?W?m^?1?K^?1 at 200°C, which was much lower than in the cases of their counterparts prepared via the conventional foam-gelcasting route.     

Microstructure control and mechanical properties of porous silicon nitride ceramics

Porous silicon nitride ceramics with a fibrous interlocking microstructure were synthesized by carbothermal nitridation of silicon dioxide. The influences of different starting powders on microstructure and mechanical properties of the samples were studied. The results showed that the microstructure and mechanical properties of porous silicon nitride ceramics depended mostly on the size of starting powders. The formation of single-phase β-Si₃N₄ and the microstructure of the samples were demonstrated by XRD and SEM, respectively. The resultant porous Si₃N₄ ceramics with a porosity of 71% showed a relative higher flexural strength of 24 MPa.     

焙烧炭砖孔结构和热导率与硅粉加入量的关系

以电煅无烟煤(5～3、3～1、≤1及≤0.088 mm,w(固定碳)=95.17%,w(挥发分)=0.37%,w(灰分)=4.14%)、鳞片石墨(≤0.147和≤0.074 mm,w(固定碳)=96.5%)、棕刚玉粉(≤0.074 mm,w(Al2O3>)=93.5%,w(TiO2)=2.3%)和硅粉(≤0.043 mm,w(Si)=96.37%)为原料,固定骨料与细粉的质量比为60∶40,细粉中硅粉和电煅无烟煤细粉总量固定为14%(质量分数),改变硅粉加入量(质量分数)分别为3%、5%、8%、10%、14%,以液态热塑性酚醛树脂为结合剂,乌洛托品作固化剂制成炭砖,于1 400℃3 h埋炭焙烧,借助于X射线衍射仪、压汞仪、激光导热仪、扫描电子显微镜和能谱分析仪等测试手段,研究了不同硅粉加入量的焙烧炭砖的孔结构及热导率.结果表明:因炭砖焙烧过程单质硅原位反应形成β-SiC、Si2N2O和石英等陶瓷相,填充、阻隔或封闭了气孔,故硅粉加入量控制着试样内部的气孔分布、平均孔径和孔径<1 μm气孔的孔容积率;受材料组成和孔结构变化影响,炭砖的热导率也发生相应变化;随硅粉加入量增加,试样中孔径分布范围由宽变窄,平均孔径逐渐减小,<1 μm孔的容积率增加,气孔呈微孔化趋势;当试样中硅粉加入量超过8%时,气孔的平均孔径<0.3 μm,<1 μm孔容积率超过70%,试样的热导率急剧下降.     

Shear and bulk moduli of isotropic porous and cellular alumina ceramics predicted from thermal conductivity via cross-property relations

Based on alumina as a paradigmatic example, shear and bulk moduli have been numerically calculated on computer-generated digital random microstructures representing isotropic porous materials with convex or concave pores and for cellular materials with closed or open cells. On the other hand, the relative elastic moduli cross-property relations (CPRs) have been predicted from the numerically calculated relative thermal conductivities. It has been shown that the Pabst-Gregorová cross-property relation (PG-CPR) with constant CPR exponent 4/3 or its generalized version with the correct Poisson-ratio-dependent CPR exponents (for alumina 1.316 and 1.426, respectively, for the shear and bulk modulus) provides the best prediction currently available, although its accuracy is significantly worse for the bulk modulus (maximum differences between predicted and calculated values ranging from – 0.05 to + 0.09 relative property units/RPU) than for the shear modulus, where the accuracy is excellent for all microstructures (maximum difference smaller than ± 0.02 RPU).     

泡沫陶瓷的研究进展

介绍了泡沫陶瓷的特性、制造工艺、用途及在冶金工业中的应用。指出除现有的堇青石质、氧化铝质、堇青石－氧化铝质过滤器外，还开发了氮化硅质、碳化硅质、氧化铝质产品。     

反应烧结法制备六铝酸钙多孔材料

以轻质碳酸钙和工业氧化铝为原料 ,采用反应烧结工艺制备了六铝酸钙多孔材料 ,并借助XRD和SEM等手段研究了煅烧温度 (130 0℃、14 0 0℃、15 0 0℃、16 0 0℃ )、炭黑加入量 (0～ 4 0 % )对多孔材料的显微结构和性能的影响。研究表明 :制备六铝酸钙多孔材料的最佳煅烧温度为 15 0 0℃ ;添加炭黑可以改变六铝酸钙多孔材料的显微结构 ,随着炭黑加入量的增加 ,六铝酸钙片状晶体的厚度减小 ,多孔材料的气孔率增加 ,耐压强度下降。考虑到实际应用中对多孔材料的耐压强度的要求 ,炭黑的加入量不宜超过 2 0 %。     

MgO as a non-pyrolyzable pore former in porous membrane supports

The gas permeability of Y_0.03Zr_0.97O₂ (3Y-TZP) porous supports from thermoplastic feedstocks has been improved by adding MgO as a non-pyrolyzable pore former. Common pyrolyzable pore formers such as graphite often produce tortuous and narrow pore channels with low gas permeability, limiting the performance of oxygen transport membranes or other membranes relying on gas transport to the active membrane surface. Thermoplastic feedstocks for extrusion of tubular 3Y-TZP supports were prepared with four different amounts of pyrolyzable pore formers and/or MgO as non-pyrolyzable pore former. The MgO was removed after sintering by leaching in acetic acid. With this technique we obtained porosities above 70 vol% and gas permeabilities above 3?10^?14?m². Compared to samples with only pyrolyzable pore formers, the non-pyrolyzable pore former increases the gas permeability and reduces the tortuosity.     

Effect of carbon contamination on the sintering of alumina ceramics

The present work aimed with the carbon contamination in alumina ceramics and its influence on sinterability of alumina in low vacuum and atmospheres of argon and nitrogen. The commercially available alumina was coated with carbon and sintered at different atmospheres to investigate the effect of carbon presence on alumina sintering behaviour. The sintering conditions were: heating/cooling rates 5 °C/min and 1.7 °C/min until the maximum temperature of 1400 °C and a dwell time of 2 h. The microstructure of the samples was investigated from fracture and surface, prior to polishing, chemical or thermal etching. The non-densified (porous) surface layer was found in the samples sintered in nitrogen and vacuum, however, sintering in argon atmosphere showed a negligible effect on the surface. The core of investigated specimens exposes a transgranular/intergranular fracture mode and is dense in all cases. In the case of vacuum sintering, the strong carbon diffusivity was also noticeable by the dark grey color of the samples. Interestingly, the formation of aluminium nitride took place during sintering of carbon coated alumina samples in a nitrogen atmosphere at 1400 °C. The thickness of the reactive porous layer was approximately 15 μm beneath the surface. Such a porous layer is inappropriate to the desired features of final ceramic products. Presented results lead to better understanding of the sintering behaviour of ceramic and to suitable selecting of the set-up by densification conditions.     

Combustion characteristics in oil-vaporizing sustained by radiant heat reflux enhanced with higher porous ceramics

Liquid vaporizing combustion in porous ceramic burner has fine flame stability and characteristic of low emission. On the other hand, vaporization control has been seldom mentioned. In this work, kerosene vaporizing type combustor equipped with a porous ceramic plate, which has the porosity of 85%, is developed in order to enhance a rate of vaporization of the liquid fuel. The stability of combustion and NO_x emission characteristics were investigated in fuel vaporizing ceramic combustion. The plate burner is made of Al₂O₃ ceramic which has an optical-thickness of 0.54. The optically thin ceramics improved flame stability and enhances more fuel vaporization rate than optically thick ceramics. The thermal radiation energy from flame and the furnace walls can penetrate easily through the large pore of the ceramic plate. It is found possible to dispense the electric power for the fuel vaporization and the stable combustion is self-sustained by enhancement of vaporization, where the reflux rate of radiant heat was no less than 2% of the heating value.     

Preparation of porous Al2O3 ceramics by starch consolidation casting method

Porous alumina ceramics were fabricated by starch consolidation casting using corn starch as a curing agent while their microstructure, mechanical properties, pore size distribution, and corrosion resistance were examined. Results showed that the porous alumina ceramics with the flexural strength of about 44.31MPa, apparent porosity of about 47.67% and pore size distribution in the range of 1‐4 μm could be obtained with 3wt% SiO₂ and 3wt% MgO additives. Corrosion resistance results showed mass losses: hot H₂SO₄ solution and NaOH solution for 10 hours were 0.77% and 2.19%, which showed that these porous alumina ceramics may offer better corrosion resistance in acidic conditions.     

Piezoelectric and mechanical properties of CaO reinforced porous PZT ceramics with one-dimensional pore channels

The formation of capillaries in sodium alginate gels is a dissipative process driven by unidirectional diffusion of divalent cations into sodium alginate sols. In the present work, we have prepared 3-1 type porous lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramics with oxides (CaO) being doped on a molecular level from the dissipative process by incorporating PZT particles into the sodium alginate gel matrix. By varying the concentration of cation solutions (CaCl₂) from 0.5 mol/L to 2.5 mol/L, both the microstructure, doping amount of oxides (CaO) and crystalline phase of the porous PZT ceramics were tailored. Accordingly, increase in the concentration of Ca²⁺ has led to a reduction in the relative permittivity (ε_r) first, and then an increase, while the piezoelectric coefficient (d₃₃ and d₃₁) demonstrated an opposite variation tendency. The prepared samples possessed a maximal HFOM value of 4755×10^–15 Pa⁻¹ when the concentration of Ca²⁺ was 1.0 mol/L. Addition of CaO was found to improve the compressive strength of porous PZT ceramics, which was preferential to promoting the stability and reliability for application.