A novel way to fabricate fibrous mullite ceramic using sol-gel vacuum impregnation

Inspired by bird's nest structure, fibrous mullite ceramic was fabricated by vacuum impregnation with mullite fibers as raw material and zirconia sol-gel as inorganic binder. The effect of impregnation times on the properties of the fibrous mullite ceramic, such as porosity, microstructure, compressive strength and room-temperature thermal conductivity were investigated. The results showed that low density (0.45–0.66?g/cm³), relative high compressive strength (0.62–3.34?MPa) and low thermal conductivity (0.037–0.125?W/mk) were exhibited for the sample. The toughness of fibrous mullite ceramic was enhanced due to the micro-creaks caused by transformation of zirconia. From the experimental results, it is suggested that it was an optimal method which have the potential use in high-temperature thermal insulation materials to produce fibrous mullite ceramics.     

A novel approach to fabricate porous alumina ceramics with excellent properties via pore-forming agent combined with sol impregnation technique

An innovative approach for fabricating porous alumina ceramics (PACs) with improved mechanical and thermal properties using walnut shell powders as pore-forming agent combined with alumina sol impregnation is reported in the present work. It is demonstrated that uniform distribution of spherical pores can be observed in as-prepared PACs by using above technical route. The decrease of walnut shell powder sizes significantly promotes the enhancement of crushing strength and reduction of thermal conductivity of the PACs. Meanwhile, the impregnated alumina sol is favoring for the formation of spherical micro-pores, then further improves their mechanical and thermal insulation performances. The lowest thermal conductivity and highest crushing strength of resulting sample reach 0.16?W/m?K and 29.2?MPa, respectively. This novel method offers new possibilities to fabricate high-quality PACs.     

A novel and green preparation of porous forsterite ceramics with excellent thermal isolation properties

This work provides a novel and green approach to preparing porous forsterite ceramics by a transient liquid phase diffusion process based on fused magnesia and quartz powders without detrimental additives. The size of quartz particles markedly affected the sintering behaviors, phase composition, microstructure and properties of the porous forsterite ceramics. Fine quartz particles (D₅₀, 3.87?µm) accelerated the rate of the forsterite formation at elevated temperatures and promoted solid-state sintering behavior of the porous ceramics. Conversely, coarse quartz particles (D₅₀, 25.38?µm) reduced the rate of the solid state reaction and a large amount of unreacted SiO₂ and enstatite (MgSiO₃) phases transformed into a transient liquid-phase during the firing process. This effect resulted in a high porosity (approximately 58.89%) and formation of many large pores (mean pore size of 42.36?µm). These features contributed to the excellent thermal isolation properties of the prepared porous forsterite ceramics. The strength of the obtained porous ceramics (about 23.6?MPa) is relatively high compared with those of conventional ceramics.     

Structure and properties of Al2O3-bonded porous fibrous YSZ ceramics fabricated by aqueous gel-casting

To meet requirements for high porosity and high strength, novel aqueous gel-casting process has been successfully developed to fabricate Al₂O₃-bonded porous fibrous YSZ ceramics with ρ-Al₂O₃ and YSZ fibers as raw materials. Microstructure, phase composition, apparent porosity, bulk density, thermal conductivity, and compressive strength of fabricated porous ceramics were investigated, and effects of fiber content on properties were discussed. According to results, bird nest 3D mesh with interlaced YSZ fibers and Al₂O₃ binder was formed, ensuring the ability to obtain high performance, lightweight ceramics. An increase in the number of YSZ fibers led to more complex interlaced arrangement of fibers and denser network structure of porous ceramics at retaining their stability. Furthermore, their apparent porosity and bulk density increased, whereas thermal conductivity and compressive strength decreased with increasing the fiber content. In particular, comparatively high porosity (71.1–72.7%), low thermal conductivity (0.209–0.503 W/mK), and relatively high compressive strength (3.45–4.24 MPa) were obtained for as-prepared porous ceramics, making them promising for applications in filters, thermal insulation materials, and separation membranes.     

A novel way to fabricate tubular porous mullite membrane supports by TBA-based freezing casting method

Porous tubular mullite supports with gradient unidirectional aligned pores were successfully fabricated by TBA-based freezing casting method. The effects of freezing temperature, solids loading and particle size distribution of mullite powders on the microstructure and properties of the supports were investigated extensively. The results show that the pore size, porosity and compressive strength of the supports can be effectively adjusted by controlling the parameters. Both the results of microstructure observations and properties testing indicate that the pore channel size increases along the freezing direction, accompanied by the changes of pore structure from homogeneous near the freezing medium to unidirectional away from the freezing medium. The pore channel size decreases significantly with increasing solids loading, decreasing freezing temperature and reducing the particle size. The porosity also decreases with increases of solids loading and freezing temperature, as well as reduces of the particle size, while the compressive strength increases.     

Alumina reinforced eucryptite ceramics: Very low thermal expansion material with improved mechanical properties

Composite materials formed by a LAS matrix reinforced with second phases are promising materials in many applications where better mechanical properties than those corresponding to conventional low thermal expansion coefficient materials are required. In this study we will show the capability of the design of a LAS-alumina submicron composite. The main scope of this work is to test the sinterability of the composites and to design a composition for a very low thermal expansion submicron composite. For this purpose, Taimei alumina (TM-DAR) powders and an ad hoc synthesized β-eucryptite phase were used to fabricate the composite. XRD phase compositions and microstructures are discussed together with data from dilatometries in a wide temperature range. The results obtained show the possibility of designing a submicron composite with a very low thermal expansion coefficient and improved mechanical properties that can be used in oxidizing conditions.     

Preparation of porous spodumene/zircon composite ceramics and its thermal and mechanical properties

Abstract

Porous β-spodumene/zircon (ZrSiO₄) composite ceramics were prepared by addition of zirconia to spodumene mineral using conventional solid reaction methods. The formation of the zircon was investigated by means of the differential scan calorimetry measurements and an X-Ray diffractometer. The microstructure of the composite ceramics was observed through a scanning electron microscope. The results show that the presence of zircon benefited the formation and stability of the porous structure and improved significantly the thermal endurance and mechanical properties of the spodumene matrix. The composites with 10–15% porosity exhibit an excellent thermal shock resistance, a low thermal expansion coefficient of approximately 1·4 × 10^?6 K^?1 in the range of 200–800°C and a high flexural strength about 100 MPa. It is found that the spodumene/zircon composites, widely used as a high temperature structure material, can be synthesised by a cost effective method.     

Investigating the effect of SPRM on mechanical strength and thermal conductivity of highly porous alumina ceramics

For recycling waste refractory materials in metallurgical industry, porous alumina ceramics were prepared via pore forming agent method from α-Al₂O₃ powder and slide plate renewable material. Effects of slide plate renewable material (SPRM) on densification, mechanical strength, thermal conductivity, phase composition and microstructure of the porous alumina ceramics were investigated. The results showed that SPRM effectively affected physical and thermal properties of the porous ceramics. With the increase of SPRM, apparent porosity of the ceramic materials firstly increased and then decreased, which brought an opposite change for the bulk density and thermal conductivity values, whereas the bending strength didn’t decrease obviously. The optimum sample A2 with 50 wt% SPRM introducing sintered at 1500 °C obtained the best properties. The water absorption, apparent porosity, bulk density, bending strength and thermal conductivity of the sample were 31.7%, 62.8%, 1.71 g/cm³, 47.1 ± 3.7 MPa and 1.73 W/m K, respectively. XRD analysis indicated that a small quantity of silicon carbide and graphite in SPRM have been oxidized to SiO₂ during the firing process, resulting in rising the porous microstructures. SEM micrographs illustrated that rod-like mullite grains combined with plate-like corundum grains to endow the samples with high bending strength. This study was intended to confirm the preparation of porous alumina ceramics with high porosity, good mechanical properties and low thermal conductivity by using SPRM as pore forming additive.     

A novel route to produce porous ceramics

The possibility to consolidate alumina powder stabilized Pickering emulsions of paraffin oil in ethanol by means of electrophoretic deposition (EPD) into freestanding porous objects is reported. The pore forming paraffin is extracted from the consolidated powder compact by means of evaporation prior to sintering. The sintered ceramics contain spherical pores with a diameter that can be tuned from 200 μm to 20 μm. Both open and closed porosities can be obtained by altering the emulsion composition. Since no pore forming fugitive solid organic binder is used, the delicate and time-consuming debinding step during processing is eliminated.     

Cost effective preparation of Si3N4 ceramics with improved thermal conductivity and mechanical properties

High-purity silicon powder is used as the starting material for cost-effective preparation of silicon nitride ceramics with both high thermal conductivity and excellent mechanical properties using RE₂O₃ (RE=Y, La or Er) and MgO as sintering additives. Nitridation is a key procedure that would affect the properties of green bodies and the sintered samples. The β: (α+β) ratio can be increased as the samples nitrided at 1450ºC and a large amount of long rod-like β-Si₃N₄ grains were developed in the samples. It was found that the addition of Er₂O₃-MgO could help to improve the mechanical properties of the sintered Si₃N₄ ceramics, the thermal conductivity, flexural strength and fracture toughness of the sample were 90 W/(m∙K), 953±28.3 MPa and 10.64±0.61 MPa·m^1/2, respectively. The RE³⁺ species with larger ionic radius tended to increase the oxygen of nitrided samples and decrease N/O ratio (triangle grain boundary) of sintered samples.     

A novel vibration-assisted slurry impregnation to fabricate Cf/ZrB2-SiC composite with enhanced mechanical properties

The three dimensional needle-punched carbon fiber reinforced ZrB₂-SiC composite (C_f/ZrB₂-SiC) with highly uniform distribution was fabricated successfully via a novel vibration-assisted slurry impregnation and low-temperature (1450 °C) hot pressing technique using nanosized ZrB₂ powders. The carbon fiber/ceramic matrix interfaces were clear without obvious reaction products detected by the high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), indicating the degradation of carbon fiber was effectively inhibited. The C_f/ZrB₂-SiC composite exhibited a typical non-brittle fracture feature with a high work of fracture of 1104 J/m², which was approximately twice that of composite fabricated only by slurry impregnation and hot pressing. The enhancement in work of fracture was attributed to multiple toughening mechanisms of continuous carbon fibers such as extensive fiber bridging and pull-out accompanied by obvious crack deflection and branching. This work provides a valuable potential of preparing continuous carbon fiber reinforced ceramic composites with uniform component distribution and enhanced mechanical properties.     

Preparation of YSZ porous ceramics with precise porosity control

Conventional preparation of porous ceramics often hard to accurately control the porosity of the samples. In this paper, by improving the foaming method, the foaming process is placed in the limited space of the ball mill tank, and YSZ porous ceramics with different porosity are obtained by changing the amount of slurry. Initial results showed that the porosity of the sample varies linearly with the increasing of addition of slurry. From the microscopic morphology, it can be seen that the increase in slurry content will reduce the number of pore with little changed size, which lead to the decrease in porosity. Therefore, with simple calculation YSZ porous ceramics with 85%, 80%, 75%, 70%, and 65% porosity can be obtained using the method of foaming in limited space by ball milling.     

Electrical,thermal, and mechanical properties of porous silicon carbide ceramics with a boron carbide additive

The effects of the boron carbide (B₄C) content and sintering atmosphere on the electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties of porous silicon carbide (SiC) ceramics were investigated in the porosity range of 58.3%–70.3%. The electrical resistivities of the nitrogen-sintered porous SiC ceramics (∼10^–1 Ω·cm) were two orders of magnitude lower than those of argon-sintered porous SiC ceramics (∼10¹ Ω·cm). Both the thermal conductivities (3.3–19.8 W·m^–1·K^–1) and flexural strengths (8.1–32.9 MPa) of the argon- and nitrogen-sintered porous SiC ceramics increased as the B₄C content increased, owing to the decreased porosity and increased necking area between SiC grains. The electrical resistivity of the porous SiC ceramics was primarily controlled by the sintering atmosphere owing to the N-doping from the nitrogen atmosphere, and secondarily by the B₄C content, owing to the B-doping from the B₄C. In contrast, the thermal conductivity and flexural strength were dependent on both the porosity and necking area, as influenced by both the sintering atmosphere and B₄C content. These results suggest that it is possible to decouple the electrical resistivity from the thermal conductivity by judicious selection of the B₄C content and sintering atmosphere.     

New approach to fabricate densificated continuous fiber reinforced polytetrafluoroethylene composites with significantly improved interfacial bonding and mechanical properties

An unique two‐step technique to fabricate densified continuous fiber reinforced polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) composites with significantly improved interfacial bonding and mechanical properties have been successfully developed. The technique is conventional sintering followed by resin film infusion (RFI). The mechanical properties of the composites were studied, and results show that the composites have significantly improved interfacial bonding and mechanical properties. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 104: 3588–3591, 2007     

Graphene/polypropylene nanocomposites with improved thermal and mechanical properties

Small amount of large surface area graphene (G) is expected to significantly alter functional properties of polymers. The property enhancement is a function of degree of exfoliation and dispersion of G as well as its compatibility with base polymer. However, nonpolar nature of polyolefins such as polypropylene (PP) restricts homogeneous dispersion of G, leading to significant agglomeration and properties reduction. In this work, two compatibilizers, poly (ethylene-co-butyl acrylate) (EBA) (new compatibilizer) and PP-grafted-maleic anhydride (MA-PP) (conventional compatibilizer) were compared to enhance the dispersion efficacy of G in PP. The EBA-compatibilized nanocomposites exhibited 44% increase in the Young's modulus compared to 32% increment in MA-PP-compatibilized nanocomposites. Higher elongation at break for EBA-compatibilized nanocomposites is attributed to lower degree of crystallinity in these nanocomposites. On the other hand, EBA-compatibilized nanocomposites showed significantly improved thermal stability compared to MA-PP-compatibilized nanocomposites. The results indicate that EBA may act as a potential compatibilizer for G/PP nanocomposites.     

Novel and simple methodology to fabricate porous and buckled fibrous structures for biomedical applications

Reproducible buckled and porous sub-micron diameter polycaprolactone (PCL) fibers were produced by simple electrospinning process for biomedical applications. In this study, six types of solvent combinations with different vapor pressures were used to study the effect of phase separation on the morphology of electrospun fibers. The fiber morphology, Infrared spectroscopy, water contact angle and tensile test were performed to study the material properties. It is evident that the fiber morphology was affected by solvent combinations used for the fabrication of sub-micron fibers. The solution viscosity, the collecting distance and the type of solvent combination used could be an optimum parameter for the generation of porous-buckled fibers with narrow pore size distribution. The simplicity of the set-up is the immense advantage for producing buckled and porous elastomeric fibers for tissue engineering applications. All the fibers were spun on a motionless collector plate to study the properties of fibers. The combination of surface pores with the buckled pattern could be of great importance in the field of biomedical engineering.     

Effect of pre-oxidation on the microstructure,mechanical and dielectric properties of highly porous silicon nitride ceramics

Highly porous Si₃N₄ ceramics have been fabricated via freeze casting and sintering. The as-sintered samples were pre-oxidized at 1200–1400 °C for 15 min. The effect of pre-oxidation temperature on the microstructure, flexural strength, and dielectric properties of porous Si₃N₄ ceramics were investigated. As the pre-oxidation temperature increased from 1200 °C to 1400 °C, firstly, the flexural strength of the pre-oxidized specimens remained almost constant at 1200 °C, and then decreased to 14.2 MPa at 1300 °C, but finally increased to 25.6 MPa at 1400 °C, while the dielectric constant decreased gradually over the frequencies ranging from 8.2 GHz to 12.4 GHz. This simple process allows porous Si₃N₄ ceramics to have ultra-low dielectric constant and moderate strength, which will be feasible in broadband radome applications at high temperatures.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of cold sintered porous alumina ceramics

New innovative approach to fabricate porous alumina ceramics by cold sintering process (CSP) is presented using NaCl as pore forming agent. The effects of CSP and post-annealing temperature on the microstructure and mechanical strength were investigated. Al₂O₃–NaCl composite with bulk density of 2.92 g/cm³ was compacted firstly using CSP and then a porous structure was formed using post-annealing at 1200°C–1500°C for 30 min. Brazilian test method and Vickers hardness test were used to determine the indirect tensile strength and hardness of the porous alumina, respectively. Meanwhile, the phases and the microstructure were respectively examined using X-ray diffractometer and scanning electron microscope (SEM) complemented by the 3D image analysis with X-ray tomography (XRT). SEM structural and XRT image analysis of cold sintered composite showed a dense structure with NaCl precipitated between Al₂O₃ particles. The NaCl volatization from the composite was observed during the annealing and then complete porous Al₂O₃ structure was formed. The porosity decreased from 48 vol% to 28 vol% with the annealing temperature increased from 1200 °C to 1500 °C, while hardness and mechanical strength increased from 14.3 to 115.4 HV and 18.29–132.82 MPa respectively. The BET analysis also showed a complex pore structure of micropores, mesopores and macropores with broad pore size distribution.     

Extrusion of highly porous silicon nitride ceramics with bimodal pore structure and improved gas permeability

Highly porous Si₃N₄ ceramics with bimodal pore structure were prepared by the extrusion processing with petroleum coke of 30 μm as pore‐maker. The microstructure, mechanical strength, and gas permeability were investigated. The microstructure with petroleum coke contained not only numerous fine pores by interlocking the high aspect ratio β‐Si₃N₄ grains, but also some large pores of 15‐25 μm left by the burnout of petroleum coke. The resultant samples obtained an improved gas permeability of 1.2 × 10^?12 m², which is approximately two times that of samples without petroleum coke addition. Furthermore, the mechanical strength is still superior even at a porosity of 67% in comparison with the other porous ceramics used in the current diesel particulate filter.     

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.