Preparation of nano-TiO_2/diatomite-based porous ceramics and their photocatalytic kinetics for formaldehyde degradation

Diatomite-based porous ceramics were adopted as carriers to immobilize nano-TiO2 via a hydrolysis-deposition technique. The thermal degradation of as-prepared composites was investigated using thermogravimetric-differential thermal analysis, and the phase and microstructure were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The results indicated that the carriers were encapsulated by nano-TiO2 with a thickness of 300-450 nm. The main crystalline phase of TiO2 calcined at 650~C was anatase, and the average grain size was 8.3 nm. The FT-IR absorption bands at 955.38 cm1 suggested that new chemical bonds among Ti, O, and Si had formed in the composites. The photocatalytic （PC） activity of the composites was investigated un- der UV irradiation. Furthermore, the photodegradation kinetics of formaldehyde was investigated using the composites as the cores of an air cleaner. A kinetics study showed that the reaction rate constants of the gas-phase PC reaction of formaldehyde were k = 0.576 mg＇m3·min^-1 and K = 0.048 m3/mg.

Porous high-entropy rare-earth phosphate(REPO_(4),RE=La,Sm,Eu,Ce,Pr and Gd)ceramics with excellent thermal insulation performance via pore structure tailoring

Thermal insulation materials play an increasingly important role in protecting mechanical parts functioning at high temperatures.In this study,a new porous high-entropy(La_(1/6)Ce_(1/6)Pr_(1/6)Sm_(1/6)Eu_(1/6)Gd_(1/6))PO_(4)(HE(6RE_(1/6))PO_(4))ceramics was prepared by combining the high-entropy method with the pore-forming agent method and the effect of different starch contents(0–60vol%)on this ceramic properties was systematically investigated.The results show that the porous HE(6RE_(1/6))PO_(4)ceramics with 60vol%starch exhibit the lowest thermal conductivity of 0.061 W·m^(-1)·K^(-1)at room temperature and good pore structure stability with a linear shrinkage of approximately1.67%.Moreover,the effect of large regular spherical pores(>10μm)on its thermal insulation performance was discussed,and an optimal thermal conductivity prediction model was screened.The superior properties of the prepared porous HE(6RE_(1/6))PO_(4)ceramics allow them to be promising insulation materials in the future.

Research of Microstructure,Phase,and Mechanical Properties of Aluminum-Dross-Based Porous Ceramics

In this study,the effect of sintering temperature and the addition of kaolin,a sintering agent,on the microscopic,phase,and mechanical properties of ceramics were investigated using secondary aluminum dross(SAD)as the main component in the manufacturing of ceramics.The basic phases of the ceramics were Al_(2)O_(3),MgAl_(2)O_(4),NaAl_(11)O_(17),and SiO_(2)without the addition of kaolin.The diffraction peaks of MgAl_(2)O_(4),NaAl_(11)O_(17),and SiO_(2)kept decreasing while those of Al_(2)O_(3)kept increasing with an increase in temperature.In addition,the increase in temperature promoted the growth of the grains.The grains were uniform in size and regular in distribution,with a shrinkage of 2.2%,porosity of 72.5%,bulk density of 1.076 g/cm^(3),and compressive strength of 1.12 MPa.When the sintering temperature was 1450°C,the basic phases of the ceramic after the addition of kaolin were Al_(2)O_(3),MgAl_(2)O_(4),NaAl_(11)O_(17),and SiO_(2).With the increase of kaolin,the diffraction peaks of NaAl_(11)O_(17)and SiO_(2)decreased until they disappeared,while the diffraction peaks of Al_(2)O_(3)increased significantly.When kaolin was added at 30 wt.%,the ceramics obtained had shrinkage of 18%,a porosity of 47.26%,a bulk density of 1.965 g/cm^(3),and compressive strength of 31.9 MPa.Cracks existed inside the ceramics without the addition of kaolin,while the addition of kaolin significantly changed this defect.It is shown that SAD can obtain porous ceramics with good properties at a sintering temperature of 1450°C and a kaolin addition of 30 wt.%.

Progress in Preparation Technology of Porous Ceramics for High Temperature Dust Filtration

With the rapid industrialization and urbanization,the demand for air quality management is more and more urgent.High temperature dust filtration is one important environmental management technology.Porous ceramics are used as filter materials in the field of high-temperature dust filtration because of their unique advantages such as high filtration efficiency,as well as high temperature stability,particle loss resistance,corrosion resistance and durability.This paper mainly introduced several common preparation techniques of porous ceramics,including the traditional organic foam impregnation method,foaming method,in-situ combustion method,pore-forming method and other new methods such as the template method,gel injection molding method,freeze-drying method,multi-component co-precipitation method and hydrogel method.The principle,advantages and disadvantages of these preparation technologies and their research status were described.The application of these technologies in the field of high temperature dust filtration was briefly reviewed.Finally,the application prospect of the porous ceramics in the field of high temperature dust filtration was prospected.

Microstructure and properties of mullite-based porous ceramics produced from coal fly ash with added Al_2O_3

Using coal fly ash slurry samples supplemented with different amounts of Al_2O_3,we fabricated mullite-based porous ceramics via a dipping-polymer-replica approach,which is a popular method suitable for industrial application.The microstructure,phase composition,and compressive strength of the sintered samples were investigated.Mullite was identified in all of the prepared materials by X-ray diffraction analysis.The microstructure and compressive strength were strongly influenced by the content of Al_2O_3.As the Al/Si mole ratio in the starting materials was increased from 0.84 to 2.40,the amount of amorphous phases in the sintered microstructure decreased and the compressive strength of the sintered samples increased.A further increase in the Al_2O_3 content resulted in a decrease in the compressive strength of the sintered samples.The mullite-based porous ceramic with an Al/Si molar ratio of 2.40 exhibited the highest compressive strength and the greatest shrinkage among the investigated samples prepared using coal fly ash as the main starting material.

Preparation and characterization of porous ceramics prepared by kaolinite gangue and Al(OH)_3 with double addition of MgCO_3 and CaCO_3

Porous ceramics were prepared from kaolinite gangue and Al（OH）3 with double addition of MgCO3 and CaCO3 by the pore-forming in-situ technique.The characterizations of porous ceramics were investigated by X-ray diffractometry,scanning electron microscopy,and mercury porosimetry measurements,etc.It is found that although the decomposition of MgCO3 and CaCO3 has little contribution to the porosity,the double addition of MgCO3 and CaCO3 strongly affects the formation of liquid phase,and then changes the phase compositions,pore characterization,and strength.The appropriate mode is the sample containing 1.17wt% MgCO3 and 1.17wt% CaCO3,which has high apparent porosity（41.0%）,high crushing strength（53.5 MPa）,high mullite content（76wt%）,and small average pore size（3.24 μm）.

A Novel Approach for the Effective Thermal Conductivity of Porous Ceramics

A new approach in combination of the effective medium theory with the equivalent unit in numerical simulation was developed to study the effective thermal conductivity of porous ceramics. The finite element method was used to simulate the heat transfer process which enables to acquire accurate results through highly complicated modeling and intensive computation. An alternative approach to mesh the material into small cells was also presented. The effective medium theory accounts for the effective thermal conductivity of cells while the equivalent unit is subsequently applied in numerical simulation to analyze the effective thermal conductivity of the porous ceramics. A new expression for the effective thermal conductivity, allowing for some structure factors such as volume fraction of pores and thermal conductivity, was put forward, and the results of its application was proved to be close to those of the mathematical simulation.

Preparation and photo-catalytic activity of TiO_2-coated medical stone-based porous ceramics

Medical stone-based porous ceramics as a carrier were prepared by ultra-fine grinding and low-temperature sintering method. Nano-TiO~ thin films were loaded on the carrier by chemical liquid deposition method using titanium tetrachloride as a precursor. The micro-morphology and microstructure of the synthesized samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectrometry, and mercury injection method. The photo-catalytic activity of the TiO2 thin films was investigated by degrading formaldehyde. The main crystalline phase in the TiO2 thin films calcined at 550~C is anatase with the average particle size about 10 nm. The specific surface area of the carrier-coated nano-TiO2 increases from 3.68 to 5.32 m2/g. The formaldehyde removal rate of the TiO2/medical stone-based porous ceramics irradiated under an ultraviolet lamp for 120 min reaches 85.6%.

Constructing Straight Pores and Improving Mechanical Properties of GangueBased Porous Ceramics

The large-scale accumulation and pollution of solid mining waste is an urgent issue.Coal gangue is a prominent type of solid waste,and shows promise for use in high value-added products due to its content of many important compounds,including SiO_(2) and Al2O3.This study proposed the preparation of highly porous ceramics from coal gangue,coal slime,and coconut palm fibers.The ceramics were produced at a sintering temperature of 950℃ with a fiber content of 6 wt%,which led to the formation of porous ceramics with a porosity of 66.93%,volume density of 1.0329 g/cm^(3),compressive strength of 1.1025 MPa,and thermal conductivity is 0.3919 K(W/mk).A finite element model of the porous ceramics was established using the Abaqus module in ANSYS software,where the stress distribution and compressive strength were simulated.Further,the relationship between porosity and compressive strength was analyzed.The thermal properties of the porous ceramics were analyzed using the Fluent module,where the simulated changes in porosity under various sintering temperatures were consistent with the experimental data.The preparation of this highly porous ceramic from solid waste coal gangue shows promise for the minimizing the impact of waste gas and wastewater pollution in the future.

Dielectric Properties of Porous Reaction-boned Si_3N_4 Ceramics with Controlled Porosity and Pore Size

This paper presents the microwave dielectric properties of reaction bonded porous silicon nitride ceramics with variant porosity and pore size, which were prepared by adding pore-forming agent grains into the silicon powders. The experimental results show that the dielectric constant and the dielectric loss of the samples reduce evidently with increasing porosity in the sample. When the porosity is constant, the dielectric constant and the dielectric loss of the ceramics decrease visibly as the pore size increases. Among all the obtained samples, the minimum dielectric constant is about 2.4.

Preparation and Properties of Calcium Hexaaluminate Porous Ceramics

In this paper,calcium hexaaluminate(CA6)porous ceramics were prepared by a foaming method combined with cement solidification molding.The effects of the foaming agent addition on the microstructure and the properties of the ceramics were studied.The results show that the microstructure and the porosity of the ceramics can be controlled by adjusting the addition of the foaming agent.As the addition of the foaming agent increased,the bulk density reduced from 1 g·cm^-3 to 0.35 g·cm^-3,the porosity increased from 70.4%to 89.6%,the compressive strength reduced from 18.46 MPa to 1.66 MPa,and the thermal conductivity at 1000°C decreased from 0.382 W·m^-1·K^-1 to 0.144 W·m^-1·K^-1.It is indicated that calcium hexaaluminate porous ceramics with low density,high strength and low thermal conductivity can be obtained by the foaming method.As the lining material of high temperature electric furnaces,the ceramic has excellent energy saving effect.

Preparation and Microstructure of Porous ZrB_2 Ceramics Using Reactive Spark Plasma Sintering Method

Zirconium oxide （ZrO：） and boron carbide （B4C） were added to ZrB2 raw powders to prepare ZrB2 porous ceramics by reactive spark plasma sintering （RSPS）. The reactions between ZrO2 and B,C which produce ZrB2 and gas （such as CO and B2O3） result in pore formation. X-Ray Diffraction results indicated that the products phase was ZrB2 and the reaction was completed after the RSPS process. The porosity could be controlled by changing the ratio of synthesized ZrB2 to raw ZrB2 powders. The porosity of porous ceramics with 20 wt% and 40 wt% synthsized ZrB2 are 0.185 and 0.222, respectivly. And dense ZrB：SiC ceramic with a porosity of 0.057 was prepared under the same conditions for comparison. The pores were homogeneously distributed within the microstructure of the porous ceramics. The results indicate a promising method for preparing porous ZrB：based ceramics.

Carbon Capture from Flue Gas Based on the Combination of Non-Contact Hydrophobic Porous Ceramic Membrane and Bubbling Absorption

A hybrid system combined with a non-contact membrane and bubbling absorption is proposed to capture CO_(2) from flue gas.The non-contact way of membrane and liquid absorbent effectively avoids the reduction of gas diffusion flux through the membrane.High-porosity ceramic membranes in hybrid systems are used for gas-solid separation in fuel gas treatment.Due to the high content of H_(2)O and cement dust in the flue gas of the cement plant,the membrane is hydrophobically modified by polytetrafluoroethylene(PTFE)to improve its anti-water,anti-fouling,and self-cleaning performances.The results show that the diffusion flux of CO_(2) through the membrane is still higher than 7.0×10^(−3) mol/m^(2)s(20%CO_(2) concentration)even under the influence of water and cement dust.In addition,slaked lime selected as the absorbent is cheap and the product after bubbling absorption is nano-scale light calcium carbonate.To sum up,the hybrid system combining non-contact membrane and bubbling absorption is expected to be used to capture carbon dioxide from the flue gas of the cement plant.

Preparation of Thermal Insulation Ceramics Using Felsic Tailings as Main Raw Material and Soda-ash Dregs as Flux

Low-cost thermal insulation porous ceramics with uniform pore diameter and low bulk density were prepared with soda-ash dregs and felsic tailings.We investigated the effect of temperature,foaming agent,fluxing agent,Al_(2)O_(3)and CaO content on the pore structure and crystal phase of porous ceramics.The effect of Ca^(2+)in soda-ash dregs on the preparation of quartz-feldspar based porous ceramics was studied.The results showed that the contribution of Ca^(2+)to the preparation of porous ceramics in this system was mainly to accelerate the Si-O bond fracture and reduce the sintering temperature at the initial stage of sintering,which destroyed the needle-like feldspar in the high temperature melt and reduced the melt viscosity,thus reduced the foaming resistance and promoted the porous products with uniform pore size distribution.The Ca^(2+)content on the high side can participate in the formation of crystals in sintering.The generated needle-like diopside and augite,which have small length-diameter ratio,will negligibly change in the viscosity of melt at high temperatures,and their inhibition effect on pores is not as good as that of feldspar with large length-diameter ratio,resulting in the merger and collapse of pores.But the increase of diopside and augite can improve the compressive strength of porous products to some extent.Porous ceramic products containing needle-like feldspar phase can be prepared by using two kinds of solid waste,which can improve the compressive strength of the products and reduce the raw material cost and energy consumption while comprehensively utilizing the double solid waste.The optimal product has a bulk density of 0.45 g/cm^(3),a compressive strength of 3.17 MPa,and a thermal conductivity of 0.11 W/(m·K).

Preparation of SiC Porous Ceramics by Crystalline Silicon Cutting Waste

SiC porous ceramics were prepared at 1 400 ℃ for4 h with crystalline silicon cutting waste and activated carbon as main starting materials and NH4HCO3 as the pore-forming agent. Effects of NH4HCO3 additions( 0,20%,30%,40%,by mass) on the phase composition,microstructure,sintering properties,cold compressive strength and thermal shock resistance of as-prepared Si C porous ceramics were investigated. The results show that:( 1) addition of NH4HCO3 remarkably influences the apparent porosity and cold compressive strength of specimens. The apparent porosity achieves its maximum value( 63. 40%) when 40% NH4HCO3 is added,while the minimum cold compressive strength is 4. 77 MPa;( 2) the specimen with 40% NH4HCO3 has the best thermal shock resistance. The thermal cycling times between1 000 ℃ to room temperature reach 62;( 3) the addition of NH4HCO3 does not remarkably affect the phase composition of the specimens;( 4) the specimens include a large number of SiC particles and a small amount of SiC whiskers.

Effect of Starch Addition on Properties of Corundum-mullite Porous Ceramics

Corundum-mullite porous ceramics(CMPCs)were fabricated using fly ash and aluminum ash as the raw materials,adding different amounts of starch(0,10%,20%,and 30%,by mass)as the pore-forming agent,molding and firing at 1200℃ for 1 h.The apparent porosity,the bulk density,the cold compressive strength,the thermal shock resistance and the thermal conductivity of the CMPCs were tested.The phase composition and the microstructure of the CMPCs were characterized by XRD and SEM.The effect of the starch addition on the properties of the CMPCs was studied.The results show that:(1)the CMPCs with high porosity can be successfully prepared by adding starch as the pore-forming agent and firing at 1200℃ for 1 h;(2)with the starch addition increasing,the porosity increases;the cold compressive strength and the number of the quenching cycles of the CMPCs decrease,but they remain at high levels;meanwhile,the thermal conductivity decreases;(3)generally,when adding 20 mass%starch,the CMPC has the apparent porosity of 48.6%,the cold compressive strength of 52.1 MPa,the quenching cycles of 5 and the thermal conductivity of 1.63 W·m-1·K-1 and 1.52 W·m-1·K-1,respectively,at 25℃ and 500℃,showing good performance.

Fabrication and Characterization of Porous Mullite Ceramics from Pyrolysis of Alumina Powders Filled Silicone Resin

Porous mullite ceramics were fabricated from pyrolysis of nanometer alumina powders filled silicone resin. At 1573 K, the mixture of nanometer γ-Al2O3 and silicone resin can be entirely transformed to mullite in air. The effects of shaping pressure on microstructure and mechanical property were investigated. Increasing shaping pressure leads to decrease in open porosity and average pore size, narrower pore size distribution, and improvement in flexural strength. With a shaping pressure of 43 MPa, nanoporous mullite ceramics with an average pore size of 50 nm can be obtained, showing 33% in open porosity and 42 MPa in flexural strength. The microstructure of porous mullite ceramics consists of dense region and loose region.

Preparation of Porous Silica Ceramics with Low Dielectric Constant

Porous silica ceramics has been prepared with the starch consolidation casting method. Slurries with various fractions of starch added in were prepared by ball-milling. The evaluation of the microstructures was done through two techniques： Hg porosimetry and SEM investigation. The bending strength of the sintered samples varied within the range of 10 MPa-20 MPa and the low dielectric constant within the range of 2.0-2.4 correspondent with the porosity of 42%-56%. The ceramics holds a brilliant promise of being a kind of core material used in sandwich-like electromagnetic windows.

Sea Urchin Spines as a Model-System for Permeable,Light-Weight Ceramics with Graceful Failure Behavior.Part Ⅱ.Mechanical Behavior of Sea Urchin Spine Inspired Porous Aluminum Oxide Ceramics under Compression

Sea urchin spines were chosen as a model system for biomimetic ceramics obtained using starch-blended slip casting. Porous alumina ceramics with cap-shaped layers with different alternating porosities were found to have superior fracture behavior under bulk compression compared to ceramics with uniform porosity.They fail in a cascading manner,absorbing high amounts of energy during extended compression paths.The porosity variation in an otherwise single phase material mimicks the architectural microstructure design of sea urchin spines of Heterocentrotus mammillatus,which are promising model materials for impact protection.

Effects of Pore-forming Agents on Properties of Silicon Carbide Porous Ceramics Prepared from Crystalline Silicon Cutting Waste

SiC powder was rapidly synthesized in an induction furnace with crystalline silicon cutting waste and active carbon as raw materials,and then SiC porous ceramics were prepared at 1600 t for 4 h with carbon embedded using the powder as raw material,the starch and the graphite as pore-forming agents.Effects of additions of different pore-forming agents on the phase composition,microstructures,physical properties,and cold crushing strength of the porous ceramics were investigated.The results show that the main crystalline phases of the synthetic powder areα-S iC(6H-SiC)andβ-SiC(3C-SiC).The phase composition of the porous ceramics includesα-S iC(6H-SiC),β-SiC(3C-SiC),FeSi,quartz and Si2N20.The apparent porosity and closed porosity of the porous ceramics prepared by adding starch are higher,and the cold compressive strength of the porous ceramics added with graphite is higher.As increasing the additions of the starch,the apparent porosity,closed porosity and linear shrinkage ratio of the porous ceramics increase,and the bulk density decreases correspondingly.When 20 mass%starch is added,the apparent porosity,closed porosity,linear shrinkage ratio and cold compressive strength are 57.05%,2.03%,5.10%and 10.20 MPa,respectively.