Effect of sintering on TiO2-impregnated alumina foams

The effect of sintering on the bulk properties, morphology and phase composition of ultralight Al₂O₃ foams impregnated with TiO₂ was investigated in comparison with pure alumina foam in the temperature range of 900–1600°C in air. Impregnation was carried out by immersion of pre-sintered alumina foam in a sol of titanium isopropoxide-acetylacetone complex. The changes of the foam linear shrinkage, effective density and porosity were studied along with morphological evolution and relationship between these properties was demonstrated. Titania impregnation increased the linear shrinkage (LS) during sintering by a maximum of 5% relative to pure alumina foams. The change of LS and weight loss of TiO₂/Al₂O₃ foams lead to a final density of 0.19 g/cm³ and porosity of 95%. The initial coating was found to develop a mosaic structure due to early shrinkage of the coating. After sintering at 1600°C the coating reacted with the underlying Al₂O₃ surface and became uniformly distributed. Finally, it was shown that the reacting TiO₂ layer formed the tialite (Al₂TiO₅) phase below 1400°C. This Tialite coating remained intact under 1200°C without stabilizers.