Porous ceramics based on high-thermal-stability Al2O3–ZrO2 nanofibers for thermal insulation and sound absorption applications

Al₂O₃ fibers are promising candidates for porous ceramics, but the sudden growth of grains in the fibers above 1200 °C will limit their applications for high temperature. Herein, we reported the successful fabrication of the Al₂O₃–ZrO₂ nanofibers by electrospinning and the nanofiber-based porous ceramics by a combination of gel-casting, freeze-drying and high-temperature sintering. Results show that the addition of Zr could greatly improve the thermal stability (up to 1400 °C) of the Al₂O₃-based nanofibers, owing to the inhibition of the sudden growth of the grains in the fibers at high temperature. The Al₂O₃–ZrO₂ nanofiber-based porous ceramics after sintering at 1100–1400 °C possessed a multi-level pore structure and exhibited high thermal stability, ultra-high porosity (97.79–98.04%), ultra-low density (0.075–0.091 g/cm³) and thermal conductivity (0.0474–0.0554 W/mK), and excellent sound absorption performance with the average sound absorption coefficient of 0.598–0.770. These porous ceramics are expected to be employed in the fields of high-temperature thermal insulation and sound absorption.     

High lumen density of Al2O3-LuAG: Ce composite ceramic for high-brightness display

Thermally robust and highly efficient green-emitting luminescent ceramics are gradually attracting great attention as promising phosphors using in high-brightness laser phosphor display to reduce serious speckle noise as well as high cost. However, lumen density is still seriously restricting their potential applications especially under high-power density laser due to insufficient absorption of blue laser and significant thermal quenching. Here, we report an Al₂O₃-LuAG: Ce composite ceramic phosphor (CCP) for high-brightness laser phosphor display. Owing to good optical properties and high thermal conductivity of Al₂O₃, the Al₂O₃-LuAG: Ce CCP shows high photoluminescence quantum yield (79.6%), low thermal quenching (only 3.2% loss in luminescence at 200°C), and high thermal conductivity (18.9 W·m⁻¹·K⁻¹). Moreover, the Al₂O₃, as scattering centers, enhances the Rayleigh–Mie scattering of the blue laser, and hence the absorption of the Al₂O₃-LuAG: Ce CCP exhibits a remarkable improvement (~2.3 times) at 450 nm. Finally, with optimized thickness (0.3 mm) of Al₂O₃-LuAG: Ce CCP, an excellent luminous efficiency (216 lm·W⁻¹) and outstanding lumen density (6129 lm·mm⁻²) of the green-emitting light source was obtained by driving under a high-power density (28.33 W·mm⁻²) blue laser. All of those validate the suitability of the Al₂O₃-LuAG: Ce CCP for high-brightness display.     

High temperature oxidation behavior of porous MoAlB ceramic from 800 °C to 1100 °C in air

MoAlB possesses the characteristics of both metals and ceramic materials, which has attracted extensive attention due to its excellent high-temperature oxidation resistance. For this reason, porous MoAlB is considered applicable to the practice of filtration under harsh environment. In this study, the high-temperature oxidation behavior of porous MoAlB ceramics is systematically studied at the temperatures ranging from 800 to 1100 °C. According to the results, the porous MoAlB exhibits good oxidation resistance at a maximum temperature of 1000 °C. The oxidation kinetics of porous MoAlB can be divided into three stages, and the estimated activation energies of the three stages are 253.83 kJ·mol⁻¹, 367.48 kJ·mol⁻¹ and 317.84 kJ·mol⁻¹, respectively. In the stable stage at 1000 °C, the quadratic mass gain per unit area shows linearity over time, and the oxidation rate of porous MoAlB reaches 37.31 mg²·cm⁻⁴·h⁻¹. As revealed by the analysis of the composition and microstructure of oxide layers, the main components of the oxide layer include MoO₃, MoO₂, Al₂O₃, B₂O₃. With the extension of oxidation time, the content of Al₂O₃ in the oxide films increases. The average pore size, permeability and open pore porosity of porous MoAlB show a trend of first decreasing and then tending to be stable. In addition, a discussion is conducted on the high-temperature oxidation mechanism of porous MoAlB.     

Rapid preparation of Palygorskite/Al2O3 composite aerogels with superhydrophobicity,high-temperature thermal insulation and improved mechanical properties

Al₂O₃ aerogels are widely employed in heat insulation and flame retardancy because of their unique combination of low thermal conductivity and exceptional high-temperature stability. However, the mechanical properties of Al₂O₃ aerogel are poor, and the preparation time is considerably long. In this study, we present a simple and scalable approach to construct monolithic Pal/Al₂O₃ composite aerogels using solvothermal treatment instead of traditional solvent replacement, which remarkably shortened the preparation time. Subsequently, to obtain stable superhydrophobicity (θ > 152°), the Pal/Al₂O₃ aerogel was modified by gas-phase modification method. The obtained Pal/Al₂O₃ composite aerogels demonstrate the integrated properties of low density (0.078–0.106 g/cm³), low thermal conductivity (1000 °C, 0.143 W/(m·K)), good mechanical properties (Young's modulus, 1.6 MPa), and good heat resistance. The monolithic Pal/Al₂O₃ composite aerogels with improved mechanical performance and improved thermal stability can show great potential in the field of thermal insulation.     

Crystal structure,electrical and magnetic properties of anion-deficient perovskite-like Ba3SmFe2O7.5

Anion-deficient perovskite-like Ba₃SmFe₂O_7.5 was prepared using a glycerol–nitrate synthesis. Using high-temperature X-ray diffraction in situ a crystal structure transition temperature range 800 and 840 °C was established. These results were further confirmed by high-temperature dilatometric analysis. The average thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) of Ba₃SmFe₂O_7.5 is about 12.8 × 10⁻⁶ K⁻¹ between 25 °C and 800 °C. Magnetic experiments proved an excellent phase purity of the oxide and reveal that Fe³⁺ ions stay in high and intermediate spin states in a ratio of 75% and 25% respectively.     

Feasibility research of Yb3Al5O12 garnet as environmental barrier coating materials

In this work, Yb₃Al₅O₁₂ (YbAG) garnet, as a new material for environment barrier coating (EBC) application, was synthesized and prepared by atmospheric plasma spraying (APS). The phases and microstructures of the coatings were characterized by XRD, EDS and SEM, respectively. The thermal stability was measured by TG-DSC. The mechanical and thermal-physical properties, including Vickers hardness (H_v), fracture toughness (K_IC), Young's modulus (E), thermal conductivity (κ) and coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) were also measured. The results showed that the as-sprayed coating was mainly composed of crystalline Yb₃Al₅O₁₂ and amorphous phase which crystallized at around 917 °C. Moreover, it has a hardness of 6.81 ± 0.23 GPa, fracture toughness of 1.61 ± 0.18 MPa m^1/2, as well as low thermal conductivity (0.82–1.37 W/m·K from RT-1000 °C) and an average coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) (∼6.3 × 10⁻⁶ K⁻¹ from RT to 660 °C). In addition, the thermal shock and water-vapor corrosion behaviors of the Yb₃Al₅O₁₂-EBC systems on the SiC_f/SiC substrates were investigated and their failure mechanisms were analyzed in details. The Yb₃Al₅O₁₂ coating has an average thermal shock lifetime of 72 ± 10 cycles as well as an excellent resistance to steam. These combined properties indicated that the Yb₃Al₅O₁₂ coating might be a potential EBC material. Both the thermal shock failure and the steam recession of the Yb₃Al₅O₁₂-EBC systems are primarily associated with the CTE mismatch stress.     

High dielectric Al2O3-(20–30 wt%) HDPE composites processed via cold sintering

In the present work, the dielectric properties of cold sintered alumina (Al₂O₃) reinforced with 20–30 wt% HDPE composite was investigated. The Al₂O₃-HDPE composites were successfully processed via cold sintering at extremely low temperature in the range of 80–120 °C for 120 min with the application of uniaxial pressure of 500 MPa under vacuum. In fact, cold sintering is a promising method to consolidate ceramic-polymer composites with very large difference in melting points and other thermo-physical/chemical properties. In the present work, high dielectric constant (ε’) of 11.73 and low dielectric loss (tanδ) of 0.0076 measured for Cold Sintering Processed (CSPed) Al₂O₃-20HDPE and a little low ε’ of 9.13 and low tanδ of 0.0066 was evident for CSPed-Al₂O₃-30HDPE at 1 MHz. Such differences in the dielectric properties of the Al₂O₃-20,30 HDPE composites depend on the crystallite size, dangling bond density and microstrain of the materials. Increase in ε’ with temperature is noticed for CSPed-A20H. Moreover, for CSPed-A20H at 1 MHz the temperature variation of dielectric constant (TCC) of 186.94 ppm/°C (or 0.018694 %/°C) was estimated and it reflects a marginal variation of ε’ with temperature. The coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of 87.25 × 10⁻⁶ °C⁻¹ and 109.3 × 10⁻⁶ °C⁻¹ was estimated for CSPed-A20H and CSPed-A30H, respectively. Overall, the cold sintered Al₂O₃-20HDPE composites exhibited comparable or better dielectric properties than Al₂O₃ based materials (as reported in the literature) processed by conventional sintering or cold sintering processes.     

High-temperature stability and leaching kinetics of the hexavalent chromium compound,chrome-hauyne (Ca4Al6CrO16)

Cr-refractories usually contain Cr(III) compounds that can convert into carcinogenic Cr(VI) compounds such as CaCrO₄ and Ca₄Al₆CrO₁₆ under alkaline and oxygen-rich conditions. Literature provides insight into the characteristics, thermal stability, and aqueous solubility of CaCrO₄, while there is hardly any data available on Ca₄Al₆CrO₁₆. The present paper comprehensively studied high-temperature stability and leaching kinetics and other characteristics of Ca₄Al₆CrO₁₆ by using high-temperature XRD, TG-DSC, XPS, Raman, and TRGS 613. XPS confirmed that chromium in Ca₄Al₆CrO₁₆ is present in the +6 oxidation state. Ca₄Al₆CrO₁₆ is thermally stable up to 1500 °C in the air but decomposes in nitrogen above 1258 °C to form the Cr³⁺-containing phases CaCr₂O₄ and Ca₆Al₄Cr₂O₁₅. The Ksp of Ca₄Al₆CrO₁₆ in deionized water is 1.0381 × 10⁻²², 4.5723 × 10⁻²¹ and 2.3489 × 10⁻²⁰ at 12, 25, and 40 °C, respectively. The leaching process of Ca₄Al₆CrO₁₆ is chemical reaction controlled, with an apparent activation energy of 58.78 kJ/mol.     

Ion-exchange characteristics of 12CaO·7Al2O3 for halide and hydroxyl ions

Substitution characteristics of the halide ions F⁻ Cl⁻ for the OH⁻ ions in the crystal lattice of 12CaO·7Al₂O₃ solid solution were investigated. Single phases of composition 11CaO·7Al₂O₃·CaF₂ and 11CaO·7Al₂O₃·CaCl₂ were formed at 900 °C or above. The OH⁻ ions in 12CaO·7Al₂O₃ solid solution, i.e. 11CaO·7Al₂O₃·Ca(OH)₂, could be replaced wholly or partially by F⁻ or Cl⁻ ions from the corresponding calcium halide, forming 11CaO·7Al₂O₃·Ca(OH,F)₂ and 11CaO·7Al₂O₃·Ca(OH,Cl)₂ solid solutions above 500 °C and above 700 °C, respectively. Lattice constants of 12CaO·7Al₂O₃ solid solution changed continuously with the proportion of F⁻ ions or Cl⁻ ions. The F⁻ ions in 11CaO·7Al₂O₃·CaF₂ could be wholly or partially substituted by Cl⁻ ions from CaCl₂ at 900 °C or more, forming the solid solution 11CaO·7Al₂O₃·Ca(F,Cl)₂. The Cl⁻ ions in 11CaO·7Al₂O₃·CaCl₂ could be partially replaced F⁻ ions from CaF₂ at 1000 °C or above, apparently due to slow chloride loss by evaporation.     

Densification,flexural strength and dielectric properties of CaO-MgO-ZnO-SiO2/Al2O3 glass ceramics for LTCC applications

Novel glass ceramics for LTCC applications with high flexural strength can be achieved by CaO-MgO-ZnO-SiO₂(CMSZ) glass cofiring with Al₂O₃. The sintering shrinkage behavior, crystalline phases, mechanical and dielectric properties, and thermal expansion of the CMZS/Al₂O₃ glass ceramic were determined. The X-ray diffraction results revealed that multiphases (CaMgSi₂O₆, Al₂Ca(SiO₄)₂ and ZnAl₂O₄) formed in the sintering process of the CMZS/Al₂O₃ glass ceramic. The flexural strength of CMZS/Al₂O₃ glass ceramics first increases and then decreases with increasing Al₂O₃ content. The CMZS/Al₂O₃ glass ceramic with 50 wt % Al₂O₃ sintered at 890 °C for 2 h achieved the best performance, with a maximum flexural strength of 256 MPa, dielectric constant (ε_r) of 7.89, dielectric loss (tan δ) of 3.41 × 10⁻³ (12 GHz), temperature coefficient of resonance frequency (τ_f) of −29 ppm/°C, and the CTE value of 7.93 × 10⁻⁶/°C.     

Preparation of In0.5Sc1.5Mo3O12 nanofibers and its negative thermal expansion property

Orthorhombic In_0.5Sc_1.5Mo₃O₁₂ nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning followed by a heat treatment. The effects of post-annealing temperatures on the phase composition, microstructure and morphology were investigated by XRD, SEM, HRTEM and XPS. Negative thermal expansion (NTE) behaviors of the In_0.5Sc_1.5Mo₃O₁₂ nanofibers were analyzed by high-temperature XRD. Results indicate that the as-prepared In_0.5Sc_1.5Mo₃O₁₂ nanofibers show an amorphous structure with smooth and homogeneous shape. The average diameter of the as-prepared In_0.5Sc_1.5Mo₃O₁₂ nanofibers is around 515 nm. Well crystallized orthorhombic In_0.5Sc_1.5Mo₃O₁₂ nanofibers could be prepared after post-annealing at 550 °C for 2 h with an average diameter of about 192 nm. The crystallinity of In_0.5Sc_1.5Mo₃O₁₂ nanofibers gradually improved with the increase of annealing temperature. However, too high post-annealing temperature leads to a damage of sample's fiber structure. The high-temperature XRD results reveal that In_0.5Sc_1.5Mo₃O₁₂ nanofibers show an anisotropic NTE, and the coefficients of thermal expansion (CTEs) along a-axis and c-axis were −5.95 × 10⁻⁶ °C⁻¹ and -3.54 × 10⁻⁶ °C⁻¹, while the one along b-axis is 5.61 × 10⁻⁶ °C⁻¹. The volumetric CTE of In_0.5Sc_1.5Mo₃O₁₂ nanofibers is −3.90 × 10⁻⁶ °C⁻¹ and the linear one is 1.3 × 10⁻⁶ °C⁻¹ in 25–700 °C.     

Process induced alignment of carbon nanotube decreases longitudinal thermal conductivity of Al2O3 based porous composites

Alumina (Al₂O₃) based porous composites, reinforced with zirconia (ZrO₂), 3 and 8 mol% Y₂O₃ stabilized ZrO₂ (YSZ) and 4 wt% carbon nanotube (CNT) are processed via spark plasma sintering. The normalized linear shrinkage during sintering process of Al₂O₃-based composite shows minimum value (19.2–20.4%) for CNT reinforced composites at the temperature between 1650 °C and 575 °C. Further, the combined effect of porosity, phase-content and its crystallite size in sintered Al₂O₃-based porous composite have elicited lowest thermal conductivity of 1.2 Wm⁻¹K⁻¹ (Al₂O₃-8YSZ composite) at 900 °C. Despite high thermal conductivity of CNT (∼3000 Wm⁻¹K⁻¹), only a marginal thermal conductivity increase (∼1.4 times) to 7.3–13.4 Wm⁻¹K⁻¹ was observed for CNT reinforced composite along the longitudinal direction at 25 °C. The conventional models overestimated the thermal conductivity of CNT reinforced composites by up to ∼6.7 times, which include the crystallite size, porosity, and interfacial thermal resistance of Al₂O₃, YSZ and, CNT. But, incorporation of a new process induced CNT-alignment factor, the estimated thermal conductivity (of <6.6 Wm⁻¹K⁻¹) closely matched with the experimental values. Moreover, the high thermal conductivity (<76.1 Wm⁻¹K⁻¹) of the CNT reinforced porous composites along transverse direction confirms the process induced alignment of CNT in the spark plasma sintered composites.     

Effect of silica sol on phase transition of alumina-mullite fibers

Duplex oxide ceramic fibers have excellent high temperature properties. However, controlling the microstructure of duplex oxide ceramic fibers is difficult and complexed. In this work, the effect of silica sols affecting the interaction of precursor sol-gel particles on the high-temperature phase transition and microstructure of alumina-mullite fibers was investigated. The results show that the silica sol affects the particle interactions and distribution in the mixed sol. Alumina-mullite fibers prepared from non-homogeneous precursor sols generated α-Al₂O₃ at 1400 °C, while fibers prepared from homogeneous precursor sols required higher temperatures. In addition, mullite (3Al₂O₃:2SiO₂) with an orthogonal structure is more likely to be generated in the non-homogeneous Al₂O₃-SiO₂ precursor sol. The prepared alumina-mullite fibers have a tensile strength of up to 1.68 GPa. Finally, the mechanism of the influence of silica-sol properties on the final organization of the alumina-mullite fiber was further discussed.     

Enhanced doping effects of multielement on anisotropic thermal expansion in ZrO2 with new compositions

Coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of a solid material plays a critical role for a variety of high temperature applications such as thermal barrier coating (TBC) systems during the thermal cycling process. Ceramics contain ionic bonds; hence they tend to exhibit lower CTE values than alloys/metals. Developing new ceramic thermal barrier materials using promising dopants and compositions that have higher CTE values than the conventional 6-8 wt% Y₂O₃ stabilized ZrO₂(8YSZ) will contribute to the decrease in thermal expansion mismatch between a typical ceramic 8YSZ (10 ~ 11 × 10⁻⁶°C⁻¹) top coat and a metal alloy based bond coat such as NiCrAlY (14 ~ 17×10⁻⁶°C⁻¹, Padture et al., Science, 2002;296:280–4; Liang et al., J Mater Sci Technol, 2011;27(5):408–14), which is highly desirable. This work reports design, modeling, synthesis, and characterization of promising new compositions based on Dy³⁺, Al³⁺, and Ce⁴⁺-doped YSZ that consist of the tetragonal structure and have an enhanced thermal expansion than 8YSZ. The intrinsic CTE at the atomic level has been investigated via molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. The atomic scale analysis provides new insights into the enhanced doping effects of multiple trivalent and tetravalent cations on the lattice structure, lattice energy, and thermal expansion in ZrO₂. The calculated lattice energy becomes smaller with the incorporation of Dy³⁺, Al³⁺, and Ce⁴⁺ions, which corresponds strongly to the increase in CTE. The crystalline size is reduced due to the incorporation of the Al³⁺ and Ce⁴⁺, whereas the sintering resistance is enhanced ascribed to the addition of Dy³⁺ and Al³⁺. Doping Dy³⁺, Al³⁺, and Ce⁴⁺ cations to YSZ increased the CTE value of YSZ and for Dy_0.03Y_0.075Zr_0.895O_1.948, the CTE is 12.494 × 10⁻⁶°C⁻¹ at 900°C, which has an 11% increase, as compared with that of 8YSZ.     

[Ca24Al28O64]4+(4e−) are directly and quickly synthesized by self-reduction of C12H10Ca3O14 + Al2O3 without any reducing agent

C₁₂H₁₀Ca₃O₁₄ + Al₂O₃ powders are used as precursors, and the dense [Ca₂₄Al₂₈O₆₄]⁴⁺(4e⁻) (C12A7:e⁻) ceramic block with high electron density is quickly synthesized in one step under a spark plasma sintering (SPS) process with a temperature of 1000°C and a time of 5 minutes. The microstructure and composition analysis results show that the synthesized C12A7:e⁻ is dense (99.7%), has no defects, and no impurities are introduced. The electronic structure analysis results show that the electron concentration of the sample is 2 × 10²¹ cm⁻³. This method realizes the self-reduction of the sample through the CO gas generated during the sintering process, avoids the introduction of impurities, and dramatically simplifies the process. These results provide a potential path for the rapid fabrication of a large number of C12A7:e⁻ with high electron concentration and provide a basis for its practical applications such as cold cathode fluorescent lamp and catalyst carrier.     

Sintered metal fibers coated with transition metal oxides as structured catalysts for hydrogen peroxide decomposition

This study aimed at the development of active and stable structured catalyst for the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide under industrial conditions. Sintered metal fibers of stainless steel (SMF_SS) in the form of flat panels were surface coated by different catalytic metal oxides. The oxide coating has been carried out by incipient wetness impregnation of SMF_SS with suitable precursors followed by calcination in air at temperatures between 500 and 600 °C. The coating of SMF_SS renders a very thin homogeneous oxide layer of less than 1 μm covering the individual fibers and ensures an optimal accessibility of the treated H₂O₂ solution to the catalytically active phase without any mass-transfer limitations. In the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide, the 5 wt.% MnO_x/5 wt.% (Al₂O₃ + MgO)/SMF_SS was found to be the most active and stable catalyst in a range of pH = 4–7 at 25 °C exhibiting a significant first order rate constant of 5.2 min⁻¹ at pH 7. The same catalyst was tested in the back end of the epoxidation of soybean oil process demonstrating its suitability for industrial application.     

Influence of Yb3+ doping on phase stability and thermophysical properties of (Y1-xYbx)3Al5O12 under high temperature

In this work, Yb³⁺ was selected to replace the Y³⁺ in yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) in order to reduce its thermal conductivity under high temperature. A series of (Y_1-xYb_x)₃Al₅O₁₂ (x=0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4) ceramics were prepared by solid-state reaction at 1600 °C for 10 h. The microstructure, thermophysical properties and phase stability under high temperature were investigated. The results showed that all the Yb doped (Y_1-xYb_x)₃Al₅O₁₂ ceramics were comprised of a single garnet-type Y₃Al₅O₁₂ phase. The thermal conductivities of (Y_1-xYb_x)₃Al₅O₁₂ ceramics firstly decreased and subsequently increased with Yb ions concentration rising from room temperature to 1200 °C. (Y_0.7Yb_0.3)₃Al₅O₁₂ had the lowest thermal conductivity among investigated specimens, which was about 1.62 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹ at 1000 °C, around 30% lower than that of pure YAG (2.3 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹, 1000 °C). Yb had almost no effect on the coefficients of thermal expansion (CTEs) of (Y_1-xYb_x)₃Al₅O₁₂ ceramics and the CTE was approximate 10.7×10⁻⁶ K⁻¹ at 1200 °C. In addition, (Y_0.7Yb_0.3)₃Al₅O₁₂ ceramic remained good phase stability when heating from room temperature to 1450 °C.     

Dielectric and thermal properties of AlN ceramics

The effects of slow-cooling and annealing conditions on dielectric loss, thermal conductivity and microstructure of AlN ceramics were investigated. Y₂O₃ from 0.5 to 1.25 mol% at 0.25% increments was added as a sintering additive to AlN powder and pressureless sintering was carried out at 1900 °C for 2 h in a nitrogen flowing atmosphere. To improve the properties, AlN samples were slow-cooled at a rate of 1 °C min⁻¹ from 1900 to 1750 °C, subsequently cooled to 970 °C at a rate of 10 °C min⁻¹ and then annealed at the same temperature for 4 h. AlN and YAG (5Al₂O₃/3Y₂O₃) were the only identified phases from XRD. AlN doped with 0.5 and 0.75 mol% Y₂O₃ had a low loss of <2.0 × 10⁻³ and a high thermal conductivity of >160 W m⁻¹ °C⁻¹.     

Formation of porous aggregations composed of Al2O3 platelets using potassium sulfate flux

Porous aggregations, with about 10 μm diameter, composed of Al₂O₃ platelet crystals were formed by heating a powder mixture consisting of Al₂(SO₄)₃+2K₂SO₄ (mol ratio) in an alumina crucible at temperatures 1000–1300°C for 3 h and removing the flux component with hot hydrochloric acid after heating. The specific surface area of the aggregations obtained by heating at 1000°C for 3 h was maximum and its value was 5·2 m² g⁻¹. Since the size of Al₂O₃ platelets increased and the number of Al₂O₃ platelets decreased, the specific surface area decreased to 0·7 m² g⁻¹ at 1100°C. When heated at 1300°C, the size of the Al₂O₃ platelets increased with increasing amount of K₂SO₄ in the starting powder mixture. ©     

Heat transport enhancement of thermal energy storage material using graphene/ceramic composites

Graphene/ceramic composites are proposed by directly depositing graphene on the insulating Al₂O₃ particles by chemical vapor deposition without any metal catalysts. Carbothermic reduction occurring at the Al₂O₃ surface is vital during the initial stage of graphene nucleation and the graphene sheet can connect with neighboring sheets to completely cover Al₂O₃ particles. The quality and layer number of graphene on Al₂O₃ can be finely tailored by changing the growth temperature and gas ratio. Graphene coated Al₂O₃ (G-Al₂O₃) composites are used as effective fillers of stearic acid (SA) to increase the thermal transport property. By the optimization of the layer number of graphene, size of Al₂O₃ particles and ratio of G-Al₂O₃/SA in a quantitative, their thermal conductivities significantly increase up to 11 folds from 0.15 to 1.65 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹. The great improvement is attributed to the high thermal transfer performance of graphene and excellent wettability between graphene and SA. When the G-Al₂O₃/SA composites with the graphene coated porous Al₂O₃ foam, the thermal conductivity further reaches to 2.39 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹, and the corresponding latent heat is 38 J g⁻¹. It demonstrates the potential applications of graphene in thermal transport and thermal energy storage devices.