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.     

Silica foams with ultra-large specific surface area structured by hollow mesoporous silica spheres

Ceramic foams with multi-scale pores and large specific surface area have received extensive attention due to their unique structure and superior properties. Considering that there are still challenges to synthesize porous ceramics with large specific surface area, a novel ceramic foam material with ultra-large specific surface area has been prepared using hollow silica mesoporous spheres (HMSSs) as building block in this work. These building blocks were made weakly hydrophobic in order to produce HMSS particle stabilized foams. The foams exhibit a uniform primary macropore structure, which is composed of a three dimensional HMSS-assembled network, via HMSS-stabilized foams. The influence of sintering temperature on the microstructure and properties of HMSS foams is investigated. The HMSS foams exhibit highest specific surface area of 1733 m²/g, attributed to the radial mesopores in HMSS shell, when sintered at between 500°C and 800°C. This specific surface area is much higher than that of existing ceramic materials. The uniform pore structure and ultra-large specific surface area make it a promising lightweight material in potential application fields, including catalyst, adsorption, fire-resistant thermal insulation, and load and control release system.     

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.     

In situ synthesis of three-dimensional nanofiber-knitted ceramic foams via reactive sintering silicon foams

Three-dimensional ceramic nanofiber-assembled materials with large specific surface area and excellent thermal insulation properties are attracting increasing interests for their unique structure and promising applications. In this paper, we propose a facile methodology to fabricate three-dimensional silicon nitride nanofiber-knitted ceramic foams via in situ reactive synthesis from silicon foams. Silicon particle-stabilized foams are fabricated for the first time using long-chain surfactant cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide as a hydrophobic modifier. First, the fabrication and stability of silicon foams are investigated. Based on the stable silicon foams, silicon nitride-based nanofiber-knitted ceramic foams are synthesized via in situ reactive sintering in nitrogen atmosphere. The novel ceramic foam materials consist of three-dimensional nanofiber-assembled strut wall and nanofiber-spheres in the pores. The diameter of obtained silicon nitride nanofibers ranges from 15 to 100 nm. The unique nanofiber-knitted foams may have potential applications in specific fields, including catalysis, adsorption, separation, and thermal insulation.     

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.     

Preparation and characterization of foam glass from waste container glasses and water glass for application in thermal insulations

Glass foams are modern developed building materials which are now favorably competing with conventional materials for applications in thermal insulation. In this study, glass foams are synthesized solely from waste container glasses of mixed colors using sodium silicate (water glass) as foaming agent. Several glass foams of 150 × 150 × 30 mm were prepared from waste glasses of 75 μm, 150 μm and 250 μm size with addition of 15 wt % sodium silicate respectively and pressed uniaxially under a pressure of 10 MPa. The prepared glass foams were then sintered at temperatures of 800 °C and 850 °C respectively. Tests such as bulk density, estimated porosity, flexural strength, compressive strength and microstructure evaluation were used to assess the performance of the developed glass foams. The results showed that with increasing temperature and grain sizes, the percent porosity of the developed foams increased while the bulk density decreased. The microstructure evaluation showed that the finer the grain sizes used, the more homogenized are the pores formed and the higher the temperature, the larger the pores but are mostly closed. Both compressive and flexural strength were found to decrease with grain sizes and higher temperatures. The thermal conductivities of all the developed foam glasses satisfy the standard requirement to be used as an insulating material as their thermal conductivities did not exceed 0.25 W/m.K.     

The microstructural characterization and mechanical response of YSZ ceramic foams fabricated via volume-controlled foaming

Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) ceramic foams are a promising class of materials for lightweight, high specific strength catalyst supports or insulation. Foam morphology is one of the most significant factors that dominate the mechanical properties of the YSZ ceramic foams. However, the foam morphology as a function of gravity and foam film strength for YSZ ceramic foams has been seldom reported up to now. Our work focuses on YSZ ceramic foams fabricated via a novel foam-gelcasting method using Isobam as gelling agent. The relative magnitudes of the foam film strength and the gravitational force can be changed by controlling the foaming yield of slurries. Both the remaining high-temperature strength and the critical difference temperature (△T_c) of YSZ (3.0) ceramic foams were higher than those of YSZ (5.0) ceramic foams, mainly owing to high closed-cells and relatively uniform distributed pore structure. In addition, the YSZ ceramic foams could not break suddenly like dense ceramics. This work demonstrates that tuning the foaming yield of slurries is a viable route to improved thermomechanical property in ceramic foams for use as insulation or catalyst supports in extreme environments.     

Compression strength and fracture mechanism of a hierarchical porous yttria-stabilized zirconia microsphere prepared using electro-spraying associated with phase inversion technique

The compression strength and breakage mechanism of a hierarchical porous sphere in hundred-micron size were investigated in the present work. 3 mol% yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) microspheres were prepared by electro-spraying associated with phase inversion (ES-PI) technique. The characteristic compression strengths of the ES-PI microspheres were measured by quasi-static uniaxial compression test, which increased from 19 MPa to 155 MPa as the sintering temperature increased from 1100 °C to 1400 °C. With the similar porosity, the compression strength of the hierarchical structure microsphere was almost three times higher than that of the hollow microsphere. Further, the breakage mechanism of the ES-PI microspheres was proposed by the honeycomb model of cellular materials, which suggested that the breakage of the ES-PI microsphere initiated from the elastic instability of the walls around the finger-like pores. These findings can help the mechanical performance optimization for ceramic microspheres with lightweight structure.     

Sintering behavior of a nanostructured thermal barrier coating deposited using electro-sprayed particles

During high temperature service, a series of microstructure and phase evolutions occur in thermal barrier coatings (TBCs), which result in degradation of thermal insulation and durability. In this study, the sintering behavior of an air plasma sprayed 8 wt% YSZ coating deposited using electro-sprayed nanostructured particles (ESP) as feedstock powder was investigated and compared with conventional YSZ coating deposited using hollow spherical powders (HOSP). Due to the distinct asymmetric porous structure formed by nanosized YSZ particles, the ESP powder was partially melted in the plasma jet during the deposition, which resulted in the formation of a nanostructured coating that consisted of porous nanozones and dense zones. The ESP coating not only shows a significantly lower initial thermal conductivity of 0.70 W/mK, but also exhibits a stronger sintering resistance in terms of phase stability and thermal insulation compared to the conventional coating. When subjected to prolonged sintering at 1400°C for 128 hours, the thermal conductivity of the ESP coating would gradually increase to about half that of the HOSP coating at 1.29 W/mK. These differences are ascribed to the interaction among different sintering behavior between nanozones and dense zones.     

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.     

Sb-doped SnO2 (ATO) hollow submicron spheres for solar heat insulation coating

Antimony doped Tin Oxide (ATO) hollow submicron spheres were synthesized with a carbon ball template using the hydrothermal method, and compared to commercial nano-ATOs that differed in particle size. To study the thermal insulation performance and the mechanism of different ATOs, their morphology, crystalline structure and microstructure were examined using XRD, SEM and HRTEM. Meanwhile, the optical and thermal characteristics of the different ATOs, including absorption, reflectance, thermal conductivity, infrared emissivity (8–14 μm), and specific heat capacity, were also measured. Silicone acrylic emulsion coatings containing different dosages of ATO were then prepared, and their UV–Vis–NIR transmittance and solar heat shielding performances were tested. ATO hollow submicron spheres showed a thermal insulation performance comparable to that of nano-ATO, but their main respective thermal insulation mechanism was different. ATO hollow submicron spheres primarily relied on better particle dispersion, lower thermal conductivity, higher specific heat capacity and higher infrared emissivity. The 50 nm ATO absorbed the least solar heat but reflected the most light, while 100 nm ATO showed the opposite behavior. Both nano-ATOs had better transmittance in the visible light range but relatively low transmittance in the ultraviolet and infrared range. The results of this study indicate that ATO hollow submicron spheres are promising materials equivalent to nano-spheres that can be applied as a coating for energy conservation.     

A new Al2O3 porous ceramic prepared by addition of hollow spheres

A method for making porous ceramic prepared by adding hollow spheres was developed, and the resulting porous ceramic was named as hollow spheres ceramic. Water soluble epoxy resin was used as a gel former in the gelcasting process of the Al₂O₃ hollow sphere and Al₂O₃ powder, the porous ceramic porosity varies from 22.3 to 60.1 %. The influence of amount of Al₂O₃ hollow sphere and sintering temperature on the microstructure, compressive strength and thermal conductivity were investigated. With an increasing amount of hollow sphere in the matrix, the porosity increases, which leads to decreased bulk density, compressive strength and thermal conductivity. The compressive strength of the porous ceramics has a power law relation with the porosity, and the calculated power law index is 4.5. The equations of the relationship between porosity and thermal conductivity of porous ceramics are proposed. The thermal conductivity of samples with 60.1 % porosity is as low as 2.1 W/m k at room temperature.     

Polar bear hair inspired ternary composite ceramic aerogel with excellent interfacial bonding and efficient infrared transmittance for thermal insulation

Highly porous, heat resisting ceramic aerogels are considered as promising materials for high-temperature insulation. However, the general structural characteristics of ceramic aerogel, such as poor mechanical strength and transparency to infrared radiation, pose a major obstacle to their practical application. In this paper, we report a general strategy to prepare hollow mullite fiber (HMF) structures by coaxial electrostatic spinning and grow TiO₂ nanorods (TiO₂/NAs) in situ on HMF. The ternary composite ceramic aerogel material was prepared by filling the pores of HMF-TiO₂/NAs with SiCN aerogel. The TiO₂/NAs increased the fiber/aerogel interfacial bonding of the composite (0.392 MPa, 30% strain) and improved the IR transmittance (∼0%, 1200 ℃) without sacrificing their low density and thermal conductivity. In addition, low thermal conductivity (0.041 W/(m·K), 1200 °C) and excellent high-temperature insulation properties allow the composite aerogel to meet the urgent need for lightweight, high-strength, high-temperature insulation systems for spacecraft.     

Model-based analysis of thermal insulation coatings

Thermal insulation properties of coatings based on selected functional filler materials are investigated. The underlying physics, thermal conductivity of a heterogeneous two-component coating, and porosity and thermal conductivity of hollow spheres (HS) are quantified and a mathematical model for a thermal insulation coating developed. Data from a previous experimental investigation with hollow glass sphere-based epoxy and acrylic coatings were used for model validation. Simulations of thermal conductivities were in good agreement with experimental data. Using the model, a parameter study was also conducted exploring the effects of the following parameters: pigment (hollow spheres) volume concentration (PVC), average sphere size or sphere size distribution, thermal conductivities of binder and sphere wall material, and sphere wall thickness. All the parameters affected the thermal conductivity of an epoxy coating, but simulations revealed that the most important parameters are the PVC, the sphere wall thickness, and the sphere wall material. The model can be used, qualitatively, to get an indication of the effect of important model parameters on the thermal conductivity of an HS-based coating and thereby be used as a specification tool or as a help in the planning of relevant experiments to conduct. Further work with the model must involve additional experiments to secure a general verification of important underlying model assumptions.     

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.     

Fabrication of high strength and thermal insulation porous ceramics via adjusting the fiberglass contents

Fiberglass porous ceramics were successfully prepared via a foam-gelcasting process with fiberglass and glass particles. The effects of fiber content on the rheology of foaming slurries and the structure and mechanical properties of as-prepared porous ceramics were investigated. The results showed that as the ratio of fiberglass to glass particles increased, the thixotropy of slurries decreased, which affected the foamability of slurries. When the ratio of fiberglass to particle was 75:25, the slurries exhibited excellent flowability and outstanding foamability, which was beneficial to optimize the structure of pores and improve the properties of the porous ceramics. The porosity, compressive strength, and thermal conductivity of porous ceramics with a content of 75 wt.% fiberglass treated at 750°C were 78.3%, 2.15 MPa, and .11 W/(m·K) (room temperature), respectively. Therefore, the prepared porous ceramics with a ratio of fiberglass to particle 75:25 were regarded as an ideal candidate for thermal insulation materials.     

A Novel Way to Prepare Hollow Sphere Ceramics

Recent developments in the fabrication of hollow spheres have allowed our group to prepare a new type of macroporous ceramics: hollow sphere ceramics (HSCs). Alumina hollow spheres were first produced by centrifugal spray‐drying of particle‐stabilized foam slurry. The obtained hollow spheres were sintered together to form HSC at high temperatures. The effect of the sintering temperature on the linear shrinkage, porosity and compressive strength of HSC samples was investigated. When the sintering temperature was increased from 1400°C to 1600°C, the samples shrunk increasingly and the porosity decreased from 59% to 42%, which lead to an increase in the strength of the alumina foams from 6.9 (at 1400°C) to 100.0 MPa (at 1550°C). The mechanical strength of the HSC highly depends on the contact area between the hollow spheres, which could be increased by increasing the sintering temperature, decreasing the size of hollow spheres or by slurry infiltration.     

Phase stability (at 1000°C) of hollow t-ZrO2 fibers costabilized by lanthana and yttria

Yttrium-stabilized ZrO₂ (YSZ) hollow fibers derived from a ceiba template present a 25%–53% reduction in thermal conductivity compared with traditional YSZ solid fibers. However, after prolonged preservation at 1000°C, tetragonal ZrO₂ (t-ZrO₂) can easily transform to monoclinic ZrO₂ (m-ZrO₂), which destroys the hollow structure of the YSZ fibers and results in loss of the structural advantages for heat insulation. To overcome this, in this study, biomorphic lanthana and yttrium costabilized zirconia (LaYSZ) fibers with a hollow structure are fabricated by doping appropriate amounts of lanthanum in the raw materials of YSZ fibers. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and thermal conductivity measurements are utilized to confirm the phase-stability superiority of LaYSZ fibers to that of YSZ fibers under harsh conditions. After preservation at 1000°C for 150 hours, the m-ZrO₂ content in the LaYSZ hollow fibers increases from 0 to 3.4 mol%, whereas that in the YSZ fibers increases from 0 to 10.25 mol%. Furthermore, owing to their better phase stability at 1000°C, the morphologies and heat-insulating properties of LaYSZ fibers are more improved in several aspects compared with YSZ fibers.     

Improved mechanical strength and thermal resistance of porous SiC ceramics with gradient pore sizes

Thermal insulation applications of porous SiC ceramics require low thermal conductivity and high mechanical strength. However, low thermal conductivity and high mechanical strength possess a trade-off relationship, because improving the mechanical strength requires decreasing the porosity, which increases the thermal conductivity. In this study, we established a new strategy for improving both the mechanical strengths and thermal resistances of porous SiC ceramics with micron-sized pores by applying a double-layer coating with successively decreasing pore sizes (submicron- and nano-sized pores). This resulted in a unique gradient pore structure. The double-layer coating increased the flexural strengths and decreased the thermal conductivities of the porous SiC ceramics by 24–70 % and 29–49 % depending on the porosity (48–62 %), improving both their mechanical strengths and thermal resistances. This strategy may be applicable to other porous ceramics for thermal insulation applications.     

酚醛空心微球对聚合物基复合材料性能的影响

以混合后的石英纤维、酚醛纤维和酚醛空心微球作为增强体,加入酚醛树脂制备出复合材料。研究了酚醛空心微球不同配比对复合材料各项力学性能、隔热性能、微观形貌的影响。结果表明,酚醛空心微球能降低复合材料的密度,提升隔热性能,降低力学性能。当酚醛空心微球含量为6%时,酚醛空心微球分散均匀,复合材料的隔热性能有明显提升,材料的比拉伸强度和比压缩强度值最大,获得的效益最高。