Evaluation of SiC-porcelain ceramics as the material for monolithic catalyst supports

Mechanical and thermal properties of SiC-porcelain ceramics were studied in the wide SiC content range of 0-95%.Microstructure evolution,shrinkage at sintering,porosity,mechanical strength,elastic modulus,coefficient of thermal expansion(CTE)and thermal conductivity were studied depending on SiC content.The optimal sintering temperature was 1200℃,and the maximum mechanical strength corresponded to SiC content of 90%.Parametric evaluation of the ceramic thermal shock resistance revealed its great potential for thermal cycling applications.It was demonstrated that the open-cell foam catalyst supports can be manufactured from SiC-porcelain ceramics by the polyurethane foam replication process.