Microscopic regulation of plant morphological pores on mechanical properties of porous mullite materials

Generally, a multilayer structure is present inside a walnut shell, and the residual structure of the walnut shell is retained after impregnation and firing. When the walnut shell is used as a pore-forming agent, this structure helps in improving the mechanical and thermal insulation properties of the lightweight porous materials. In this study, porous mullite materials (PMMs) with plant morphological structure pores were prepared using a-Al₂O₃ and silica powder as the raw materials with addition of sol-impregnated walnut shell powder (WSP). The influence of sol type and firing temperature on the pore structure of the PMMs was analyzed, which affected the compressive strength and thermal conductivity. The plant morphological porous structure was observed in the samples after sol impregnation. After firing at different temperatures, the porous structure gradually contracted and supported the pores, improving the mechanical properties, while the complex porous structure increased the heat conduction path, thereby improving the insulation performance. Using WSP impregnated with silica-sol and zirconia-sol as pore-forming agents, PMMs with higher compressive strength and relatively low thermal conductivity (TC) were prepared.     

Porous alumina ceramics with enhanced mechanical and thermal insulation properties based on sol-treated rice husk

To improve the properties of porous alumina ceramics, which were typically prepared by adding pore-forming agents, rice husk (RH) as pore-forming agent was pretreated with zirconia sol. The effects of sol-treatment on the thermal conductivity and compressive strength of the resultant ceramics were characterized. Furthermore, the pore size distribution, pore shape, microstructure, and phase evolution also were studied. The results showed that the RH pretreatment optimizes the microstructure of the ceramic pores. Moreover, complete morph-genetic RH is clearly observed in the pores, which is established as a key factor in improving the properties of the resultant ceramic. The thermal insulation properties are determined to significantly improve, although the thermal conductivity increases slightly with the increment of zirconia sol concentration from 5 to 10?wt%. Meanwhile, after sintering at 1550?°C, the compressive strength is significantly greater for the specimen prepared with 10?wt% zirconia sol-treated RH (65.56?MPa) than that with untreated RH (43.37?MPa). Hence, it was demonstrated that the use of zirconia sol-pretreated RH as a pore-forming agent could enhance the mechanical and thermal insulation properties of porous alumina 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.     

Novel design of elongated mullite reinforced highly porous alumina ceramics using carbonized rice husk as pore-forming agent

A facile strategy for the fabrication of elongated mullite reinforced porous alumina ceramics (PACs) using carbonized rice husk (CRH) as pore-forming agent and silica source is reported for the first time. A large amount of elongated mullite is synthesized in pores due to the reaction of amorphous silica in CRH skeleton and alumina ceramic powder. Elongated mullite acts as the bridges between pore walls, enhancing the compressive strength of PACs. Furthermore, secondary pores from the intersection of elongated mullite is favor of decreasing of the thermal conductivity. High performance PAC with porosity of 74.3% has been fabricated by employing 25 wt% CRH, which possesses relatively low thermal conductivity of 0.189 W/(m•K) and ultra-high compressive strength of 45 MPa. Its comprehensive performance is much better than that of existing ceramic materials. Our findings present a facile, eco-friendly and effective approach to fabricate high performance PACs as the high-temperature thermal insulation materials.     

Porous YSZ ceramics with unidirectionally aligned pore channel structure: Lowering thermal conductivity by silica aerogels impregnation

The previous report of this work has demonstrated the fabrication and properties of porous yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) ceramics with unidirectionally aligned pore channels. As a follow-up study, the present work aims at lowering the thermal conductivity of the porous YSZ ceramics by silica aerogels impregnation. The porous YSZ ceramics were immersed in an about-to-gel silica sol. Both the unidirectionally aligned pore channels and the inter-grain pores by grain stacking in the channel-pore wall of the porous YSZ ceramics were impregnated with the silica sol. After aging and supercritical drying, silica aerogels formed in the macroporous network of the porous YSZ ceramics with unidirectionally aligned pore channels. The influences of silica aerogel impregnation on the microstructure and properties of porous YSZ ceramics with unidirectional aligned pore channels were investigated. The porosity decreased after impregnation with silica aerogels. Both microstructure observation and pore size distribution indicated that both channel-pore size and inter-grain pore-size decreased significantly after impregnation with silica aerogels. Impregnating porous YSZ ceramics with silica aerogels remarkably lowered the room-temperature thermal conductivity and enhanced the compressive strength. The as-fabricated materials are thus suitable for applications in bulk thermal isolators.     

Improved Heat Insulation and Mechanical Properties of Highly Porous YSZ Ceramics After Silica Aerogels Impregnation

To further improve heat insulation and mechanical properties, silica aerogels were impregnated into highly porous yttria‐stabilized zirconia (YSZ) ceramics with well‐distributed pores fabricated by tert‐butyl alcohol ‐based gel‐casting process and pressureless sintering. Pore size distribution, room‐temperature thermal conductivities, and compressive strength of the YSZ ceramics before and after impregnation with silica aerogels were examined and compared, respectively. After impregnating porous YSZ ceramics with silica aerogels, the porosity displayed a little decrease, whereas the pore size significantly decreased by one order of magnitude. Based on this microstructure development, the room‐temperature thermal conductivities were significantly lowered and the compressive strength was also promoted. Therefore, the heat insulation and mechanical properties could be simultaneously improved by impregnating porous ceramics with silica aerogels.     

Lightweight porous silica ceramics with ultra-low thermal conductivity and enhanced compressive strength

In recent years, the need for robust thermal protection for reusable spacecraft and vehicles has spurred strong demand for high-performance lightweight thermal insulation materials that exhibit high strength. Herein, we report silica porous ceramics prepared via the direct foaming technique with lightweight, ultra-low thermal conductivity and enhanced compressive strength. Silica particles (particle size: 500 nm and 2 μm) were used as the raw materials. The nano-sized silica particles were easily sintered, thereby improving the compressive strength of the ceramics, whereas the micro-sized silica particles maintained the pore structure integrity without deformation. The addition of nano-silica enhanced the compressive strength by 764% (from 0.039 to 0.337 MPa). In addition, the thermal conductivity of the ceramics was as low as 0.039 W m^?1 K^?1. Owing to these outstanding characteristics, these porous silica ceramics are expected to be employed as thermal insulation material in diverse fields, especially aerospace and space where weight is an important constraint.     

利用核桃壳的形态结构优化Al2O3多孔材料的孔结构和性能

首先将质量分数为5%的ZrO₂溶胶、7%的Al₂O₃溶胶、3%的SiO₂溶胶作为浸渍试剂对核桃壳粉（WSP）浸渍处理。然后以α-Al₂O₃微粉为主原料,以处理后的WSP为造孔剂,制备了Al₂O₃多孔材料。研究了溶胶浸渍处理后WSP对多孔材料孔结构、热导率和力学性能的影响。结果表明,在Al₂O₃多孔材料的孔中可以清楚地观察到WSP的形变,这是优化陶瓷孔结构的重要因素。通过使用质量分数为3%的SiO₂溶胶浸渍处理的WSP,可以获得低热导率(200℃,0.297 W·m^-1·K^-1)和高耐压强度（43.5 MPa）的Al₂O₃多孔材料,并在孔中发现了莫来石的交叉网络结构。     

Correlations among processing parameters and porosity of a lightweight alumina

In this study, lightweight alumina was fabricated using α-Al₂O₃ micropowder as the raw material and corn starch as a pore-forming agent. Orthogonal experiments were designed to investigate the effect of particle size, pore-forming agent addition, and sintering temperature on the density and porosity of the lightweight alumina. The experimental results were analysed using a one-way analysis of variance and non-linear fitting, and the correlation between each processing parameter and property was discussed. The results indicate that the bulk density and total porosity of lightweight alumina are mainly affected by the pore-forming agent addition, while the sintering temperature is the main contributor to the apparent and closed porosity of the samples. Based on the Brook theory, dynamics analysis was performed on various samples. The difference in physical properties of various samples arose from differences in the relationship between grain boundaries and pore migration velocity. By adjusting the processing parameters, lightweight alumina with low bulk density, low apparent porosity, and high closed porosity could be obtained.     

Enhancing thermal insulation and mechanical strength of porous ceramic through size-graded MA Hollow Spheres

In this study, a series of porous ceramics were prepared using different ratios of small and large size MA hollow ceramic spheres as pore-forming agents, and their thermal insulation properties were investigated. The results showed that increasing the proportion of small size hollow ceramic spheres could effectively decrease the thermal conductivity and improve the compressive strength of the porous ceramics. The optimal porous ceramic was prepared with a ratio of 10∼50 of small and large size hollow ceramic spheres, which had a thermal conductivity of 0.368 W/(m·K) at 800 °C and a compressive strength of 22.43 MPa. Microscopic analysis indicated that the enhanced thermal insulation and mechanical properties were due to the improved pore structure and the enhanced bonding strength between the ceramic spheres and the matrix. The findings provide valuable insights for the development of high-performance thermal insulation materials.     

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.     

泡沫混凝土的研究进展与应用

泡沫混凝土是近年来广泛研究和应用的高性能结构保温材料,不仅轻质,而且具有保温、耐火、隔音等优异性能.泡沫混凝土的性能参数众多,但其主要性能是抗压强度和导热系数.泡沫混凝土的抗压强度随密度增大而增大,导热性能随着密度的增大而降低,因此,抗压强度和导热系数的矛盾为泡沫混凝土的大规模推广应用造成不利影响.考虑密度、孔隙率、发...     

Effect of hollow spheres on the properties of lightweight periclase-magnesium aluminate spinel refractories

This study presents new lightweight periclase-magnesium alumina spinel refractories for the working lining of cement rotary kilns in which magnesium alumina spinel hollow spheres are used to replace conventional dense fused magnesia-aluminate spinel aggregates. The effects of adding spinel hollow spheres on the physical properties, mechanical strength, thermal conductivity, and slag resistance of the samples were explored. The results showed that compared with the sample prepared with dense aggregates, the sample prepared with hollow spheres had a 10.3% higher cold compressive strength, 44.1% higher modulus of rupture (MOR), and lower bulk density. Additionally, with increasing hollow spheres content, the thermal conductivity decreased from 3.79 W/(m·K) to 2.53 W/(m·K), and the high-temperature MOR increased from 2.82 to 4.09 MPa. The highest residual strength ratio was 90.73% (15 wt.% hollow spheres), which is 1.17 times that of the sample prepared without hollow spheres. Moreover, microstructure and energy dispersive spectroscopy of crucible specimens after corrosion by cement clinker showed that specimens with 15 wt.% hollow sphere additions had a better slag resistance. Introducing hollow spheres reduced the thermal conductivity of the refractories, providing a new strategy for improving the heat insulation performance of kiln linings.     

Lightweight design of bauxite-SiC composite refractories as the lining of rotary cement kiln using alternative fuels

To meet the demand of energy-saving and adapt to the change from coal to the alternative fuel in the rotary cement kiln, bauxite-SiC refractories were fabricated by the incorporation of silica sol coated lightweight mullite aggregates in order to achieve low thermal conductivity and superior alkali vapor attack resistance simultaneously. Furthermore, the mechanism of resistance to alkali vapor attach was investigated by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results showed that the thermal conductivity of bauxite-SiC specimens decreased gradually with increasing amounts of silica sol coated lightweight mullite aggregates while changes in the alkali vapor attach were not detectable. The shell-covered structure with a silica sol coating on the surface of lightweight aggregates hindered alkali vapor diffusion into the aggregates at high temperature. Bauxite-SiC refractories possessed lower thermal conductivity, superior alkali attack resistance and higher mechanical properties compared with the specimens which contained pristine lightweight aggregates.     

A novel strategy for the construction of silk fibroin–SiO2 composite aerogel with enhanced mechanical property and thermal insulation performance

The practical application of silica aerogels is an enormous challenge due to the difficulties in improving both mechanical property and thermal insulation performance. In this work, silk fibroin was used as scaffold to improve the mechanical property and thermal insulation performance of silica aerogels. The ungelled SiO₂ precursor solution was impregnated into silk fibroin to prepare silk fibroin–SiO₂ composite aerogels via sol−gel method followed by freeze-drying. By virtue of the interfacial hydrogen-bonding interactions and chemical reactions between silk fibroin and silica nanoparticles, SiO₂ was well-dispersed in the silk fibroin aerogel and composite aerogels exhibited enhanced mechanical property. By increasing the loading of silk fibroin from 15 wt % to 21 wt %, the maximum compressive stress was enhanced from 0.266 to 0.508 MPa when the strain reached 50%. The thermal insulation performance of the composite aerogels was improved compared with pure silica aerogel, as evidenced that the thermal conductivity was decreased from 0.0668 to 0.0341 W∙m^‒1∙K^‒1. Moreover, the composite aerogels exhibited better hydrophobicity and fire retardancy compared to pure silica aerogel. Our work provides a novel approach to preparing silk fibroin–SiO₂ composite aerogels with enhanced mechanical property and thermal insulation performance, which has potential application as thermal insulation material.     

A replacement of traditional insulation refractory brick by a waste-derived lightweight refractory castable

Lightweight insulation refractories are essential for high-temperature performance to reduce energy consumption. This study investigates a new insulation material, that is, solid waste rice husk ash (RHA) derived lightweight refractory castable, replacing traditional insulation refractory brick. The RHA is generated after the burning of rice husk as biomass fuel. The RHA is used as an aggregate and alkali-extracted silica sol from RHA as a binder to fabricate the insulation castable. The nanosilica containing (~30 wt%) sol is employed to synthesize the refractory castable by varying the sol amount (2.5-12.5 wt% silica from sol). The castable specimens are cast by a vibro-caster and fired at 900-1200°C in a muffle furnace. The physic-mechanical and thermal conductivity (κ) of the castable is investigated. At 1100°C with 10 wt% dry sol retaining sample shows an excellent apparent porosity (~65%), low bulk density (~ 0.8 g/cm³), and κ (0.136 W/m k) with sustainable compressive strength (6 MPa). The acquired results are a good match with the literature (other wastes-derived insulation materials) and industrial (silica insulation brick) obtained data. These promising outcomes may inspire the refractory industries for using RHA as an aggregate and RHA extracted sol as a binder for making insulation castable.     

Effect of starch addition on microstructure and properties of highly porous alumina ceramics

Porous alumina ceramics with ultra-high porosity were prepared through combining the gel-casting process with the pore-forming agent technique. Porosity and pore size distribution of the sintered bulks were evaluated with and without adding starch, respectively. In particular, the influences of starch addition on the properties, including thermal conductivity and compressive strength were studied. It was found that the incorporation of starch increased the nominal solid loading in the suspension and subsequently promoted the particle packing efficiency. The porosity is raised with increasing starch content from 0 to 30 vol%, which brings the decrease in thermal conductivity, whereas the compressive strength isn't seriously degraded. The further higher starch addition (40 vol%), however, would deteriorate the performance of the alumina porous ceramics. It is believed that the appropriate starch amount (lower than 30 vol%), working as a pore-forming agent, suppresses the driving force of densification without affecting the connections of neighboring grains while excessive starch amount would lead to the collapse of the porous structure.     

硼酸对水玻璃基保温材料性能影响研究

水玻璃基保温材料具有轻质、导热系数低的优点,但其耐水性较差的问题亟待改善。将硼酸作为改性剂加入到水玻璃中,采用中温烧结法制备保温材料,通过对样品微观结构的表征和物理性能的测试,以及耐水性浸出试验,研究硼酸对水玻璃基保温材料性能的影响效果。结果表明,硼酸能够调节材料中Si—O四面体的框架结构,有效降低结构中的羟基数量,并抑制溶液中硅酸根离子和钠离子的浸出,提高材料的软化系数和耐水性能。当硼酸质量添加量为1.00%时,软化系数从改性前的0.519增至0.701,增加了35%。同时,硼酸的加入能够使材料内部孔径分布更加均匀,提高材料的抗压强度,但是材料的导热系数和表观密度也会增加。经0.75%(质量分数)硼酸改性后的保温材料导热系数、表观密度和抗压强度分别为0.052 W/(m·K)、128 kg/m³和0.442 MPa,满足保温材料的性能要求。     

Preparation and characterization of microporous magnesia-based refractory

In recent years, there was a huge demand for basic lightweight insulation materials in the metallurgical industry, especially magnesia-based refractories with low thermal conductivity. Therefore, the preparation of microporous magnesia-based refractory products through the synthesis of lightweight aggregate and the different grain compositions to meet the supply of light basic refractories is discussed in this paper. The microstructure, pore size distribution, phase composition, coefficient of thermal expansion, thermal conductivity and sintering properties of the microporous magnesia-based refractory products sintered at 1600°C were characterized. The results indicated that the original salt pseudomorph produced by the thermal decomposition of magnesite fine powder (porogenic agent) provides a uniform microporous structure for the synthesis of lightweight aggregates. The microporous morphology of the periclase phase was controlled by adjusting the content of the porogenic agent. The average pore size of microporous magnesia-based refractory ranged from 1.5 to 4.2 μm, and the apparent porosity increased from 29.88% to 32.46%. In the same time, the thermal conductivity increased from 0.037 to 0.217 W/(m K), indicating that the introduction of homologous porogenic agents could produce lightweight alkaline refractories with high porosity and low thermal conductivity.     

Fabrication of lightweight ZrO2 fiberboards using hollow ZrO2 fibers

ZrO₂ fiberboards with ultra-low densities (0.34–0.40 g/cm³) were fabricated using biomorphic ZrO₂ hollow fibers, which have a lower density and better thermal insulation than traditional ZrO₂ solid fibers. The effects of sol binder content, sintering temperature, and proportion of solid fibers on the density, microstructure, compressive strength, linear shrinkage, and thermal conductivity of lightweight ZrO₂ fiberboards were investigated. The results showed that the hollow features of biomorphic ZrO₂ fibers were successfully maintained after they were made into ZrO₂ fiberboards, which made them less dense and thermally conductive. The best conditions were found to be a sol binder content of 30 vol%, sintering temperature of 1400 °C, and 20 wt% sintered solid fibers to balance thermal insulation and compressive strength. The results show that the density and thermal conductivity of lightweight ZrO₂ fiberboard gives it obvious advantages as a heat-insulating ceramic. Specifically, when the sintering temperature was 1400 °C, the sample had an ultra-low density of 0.34–0.40 g/cm³, a thermal conductivity of 0.101–0.116 W/(m·K) (at 500 °C), a compressive strength of 0.05–0.24 MPa, and a linear shrinkage of 9.4–13%.