The effect of silane hydrolysis on aluminum oxide dispersion stability in ceramics processing

The controlled hydrolysis of organosilanes has been shown to greatly influence both the surface adsorption of silanes on alumina powder, and the resultant dispersion stability of alumina in organic solvent slurries. Plateau adsorption concentrations from settling experiments show that complete surface coverage for hydrolyzed forms of both n-octyltrimethoxysilane (NOS) and N-2-aminoethyl-3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (AAPS) is typically achieved at concentrations of approximately 6 μmol/m². Moreover, the settling densities of dispersions prepared with hydrolyzed silanes are consistently higher than densities achieved with monomeric silanes alone (as seen in case studies involving NOS in toluene, and AAPS in isopropyl alcohol). Similarly, ceramic slips prepared with polystyrene and alumina, or with poly(isobutyl methacrylate) and alumina also lead to ceramic green bodies with increased densities when the slips are prepared with hydrolyzed silanes. In addition, solid state NMR and dynamic mechanical analyses of resultant green bodies reveal that the molecular motional behavior of these polymers is strongly influenced by the presence of hydrolyzed silanes. These results collectively add to a growing body of evidence which supports the idea that not only is hydrolysis required for silanes to produce controllable and predictable effects in many industrial processes, but hydrolysis must be made to occur at the 'right time' within any sequence of steps that define an industrial process. In the case of ceramic slurries, the 'right time' is the period just prior to the mixing of the ceramic slip ingredients.