Ultrahigh-strength alumina ceramic foams via gelation of foamed boehmite sol

Ceramic foams with significant porosity and robust mechanical properties have received extensive attentions. However, it is still difficult to achieve excellent compressive strength at high porosity levels. In this work, a gelation of foamed boehmite sol method is proposed to settle this issue. The technological parameters during preparation process are systematically investigated. As-prepared alumina ceramic foams possess unprecedentedly high compressive strength of 34.1-89.1 MPa at high porosity levels of 66.0%-87.2%, which is attributed to the present of hierarchical pore structure, small grain size and pore size. This work demonstrates a facile and novel method for the fabrication of high-performance alumina ceramic foams toward practical applications.