High-strength,multifunctional and 3D printable mullite-based porous ceramics with a controllable shell-pore structure

The quest for lightweight and functional materials poses stringent requirements on mechanical performance of porous materials.However,the contradiction between high strength and elevated porosity of porous materials severely limits their application scenarios in emerging fields.Herein,high-strength multifunctional mullite-based porous ceramic monoliths were fabricated utilizing waste fly ash hollow microspheres(FAHMs)by the protein gelling technique.Owing to their unique shell-pore structure inspired by shell-protected biomaterials,the monoliths with porosity of 54.69%–70.02% exhibited a high compressive strength(32.3–42.9 MPa)which was 2–5 times that of mullite-based porous ceramics with similar density reported elsewhere.Moreover,their pore structure and properties could be tuned by regulation of the particle size and content of the FAHMs,and the resultant monoliths demonstrated superior integrated performances for multifunctional applications,such as broadband sound insulation,efficient thermal insulation,and high-temperature fire resistance(>1300℃).On this basis,mullite-based porous ceramic lattices(porosity 68.28%–84.79%)with a hierarchical porous structure were successfully assembled by direct ink writing(DIW),which exhibited significantly higher compressive strength(3.02–10.77 MPa)than most other ceramic lattices with comparable densities.This unique shell-pore structure can be extended to other porous materials,and our strategy paves a new way for cost-effective,scalable and green production of multifunctional materials with well-defined microstructure.

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.

Preparation and properties of porous silicon carbide ceramics through coat-mix and composite additives process

The core-shell structure silicon-resin precursor powders were synthesized through coat-mix process and addition of Al2O3-SiO2-Y2O3 composite additives.A series of porous silicon carbide ceramics were produced after molding,carbonization and sintering.The phase,morphology,porosity,thermal conductivity,thermal expansion coefficient,and thermal shock resistance were analyzed.The results show that porous silicon carbide ceramics can be produced at low temperature.The grain size of porous silicon carbide ceramic is small,and the thermal conductivity is enhanced significantly.Composite additives also improve the thermal shock resistance of porous ceramics.The bending strength loss rate after 30 times of thermal shock test of the porous ceramics which were added Al2O3-SiO2-Y2O3 and sintered at 1 650 ℃ is only 6.5%.Moreover,the pore inside of the sample is smooth,and the pore size distribution is uniform.Composite additives make little effect on the thermal expansion coefficient of the porous silicon carbide ceramics.

Design calculation of porous ceramics tube type dew point indirect evaporative cooler

To improve the wall surface hydrophilicity of a tube type indirect evaporative cooler,a new method adopting porous ceramics is proposed.This method realizes the combination of porous ceramics and the evaporative cooling technique.The design calculation of the porous ceramics tube type dew point indirect evaporative cooler are carried out from such aspects as the volumes and status parameters of the primary and secondary air,the cooler structure,the heat transfer of the solid porous ceramic tubes and the resistance of the cooler.The calculation results show that the design is reasonable.Finally,based on the design calculation,the porous ceramics tube type dew point indirect evaporative cooler is successfully manufactured.

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）.

Progress on Porous Ceramic Membrane Reactors for Heterogeneous Catalysis over Ultrafine and Nano-sized Catalysts

Heterogeneous catalysts with ultrafine or nano particle size have currently attracted considerable attentions in the chemical and petrochemical production processes, but their large-scale applications remain challenging because of difficulties associated with their efficient separation from the reaction slurry. A porous ceramic membrane reactor has emerged as a promising method to solve the problem concerning catalysts separation in situ from the reaction mixture and make the production process continuous in heterogeneous catalysis. This article presents a review of the present progress on porous ceramic membrane reactors for heterogeneous catalysis, which covers classification of configurations of porous ceramic membrane reactor, major considerations and some important industrial applications. A special emphasis is paid to major considerations in term of application-oriented ceramic membrane design, optimization of ceramic membrane reactor performance and membrane fouling mechanism. Finally, brief concluding remarks on porous ceramic membrane reactors are given and possible future research interests are also outlined.

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 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.

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%.

Fabrication and flexural strength of porous Si3N4 ceramics with Li2CO3 and Y2O3 as sintering additives

By employing sintering additives of Li2CO3 and Y2O3,porous Si3N4 ceramics are prepared after experiencing the processes of sintering and post-vacuum heat treatment at 1680 and 1550°C,respectively.The experimental results demonstrate the completed phase transformation fromαtoβ-Si3N4 in Si3N4 ceramic samples with a amount of 1.60 wt%Li2CO3(0.65 wt%Li2O)and 0.33 wt%Y2O3 additives.The as-synthesized porous Si3N4 ceramics exhibit high flexural strength((126.7±2.7)MPa)and high open porosity of 50.4%at elevated temperature(1200°C).These results are attributed to the significant role of added Li2CO3 as sintering additive,where the volatilization of intergranular glassy phase occurs during sintering process.Therefore,porous Si3N4 ceramics with desired mechanical property prepared by altering the addition of sintering additives demonstrate their great potential as a promising candidate for high temperature applications.

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 Al2O3, 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 Al2O3. 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 Al2O3content 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. © 2017, University of Science and Technology Beijing and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

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 porous ceramics from spodumene flotation tailings by low-temperature sintering

Porous ceramics were prepared with spodumene flotation talings(SFT),kaolin and low-melting point glass(LPG)powder,whose pores were formed by the chemical reaction of hydrogen peroxide(H_(2)O_(2)).LPG was used to reduce the sintering temperature of porous ceramics and kaolin was used to realize the adsorption to methylene blue(MB)of porous ceramics.The average flexural strength,compressive strength,apparent porosity,water absorption and maximum MB adsorption capacity were 5.60 MPa,4.66 MPa,52.27%,44.32%and 0.7 mg/g,respectively.Moreover,the results of orthogonal experiments present that the sintering temperature and the dosage of H_(2)O_(2)had great influence on the mechanical properties and apparent porosity of porous ceramics,respectively.The main reason for the improvement of mechanical properties of porous ceramics was that LPG gradually became soft with increasing the sintering temperature,which made the mineral particles adhere to each other closely.Kaolinite was not completely converted into metakaolin at 550℃,which might be the main reason why porous ceramics had adsorption properties.

Porous alumina ceramic via gelcasting based on2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate dissolved in tert-butyl alcohol

To obtain porous alumina ceramic with high strength,a novel gelcasting system based on 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate(HEMA)dissolved in tert-butyl alcohol(TBA)was developed.The polymerization of the HEMA-TBA gelcasting system,the thermal behavior of obtained green body,and the microstructures and mechanical properties of the sintered bodies were investigated by rheometer,TG-DSC,SEM and bending strength testing,respectively.The results show that,(1)10 mg/mL of the initiator(benzoyl peroxide)is the optimal amount for polymerization of this gelscasting system at 25 ℃;(2)The alumina suspension of the HEMA-TBA gelcasting system showing shear-thinning behavior is sufficiently low for gelcasting process;(3)The bending strength of porous alumina ceramic samples,whose porosities range from 42% to 56%,is from(8±0.5)to(91±4.5)MPa.

Preparation and characterization of the porous ceramics from fly ash

Porous ceramics was made from coal fly ash, and the microstructure and other properties were characterized as a function of the amount of the pore-forming agent and firing temperature. The results indicated that the proper sintering temperature for the useful ceramic materials is 1 250℃, and a liquid-phase was involved in the densification process.

Experiment and simulation of diffusion of micron-particle in porous ceramic vessel

The general behavior of micron-particles in the inner domain of porous ceramic vessel was simulated by computational fluid dynamics software in terms of sampling experimental data.The results show that there is an optimum porosity of 0.32 to get a higher efficiency and lower pressure drop during filtration.According to the results of simulation and experiment,it is evident that lower inlet velocity can maintain lower pressure drop and obtain higher collection efficiency and inlet concentration also has a crucial influence on the collection efficiency.The collection efficiency of equipment increases significantly with the increase of inlet concentration when the inlet concentration is less than 6.3 g/m3,but it gradually tends to be stable in the range of 97.3%-99.7%when the inlet concentration is over this concentration.

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.

Adsorption and Desorption Mechanisms of Methylene Blue Removal with Iron-Oxide Coated Porous Ceramic Filter

Adsorption and desorption mechanisms of methylene blue (MB) removal with iron-oxide coated porous ce-ramics filter (IOCPCF) were investigated in batch and column mode. The results revealed that MB removal mechanisms included physical adsorption and chemical adsorption, of which chemical adsorption by surface ligand complex reaction played a dominant role after infrared spectrum analysis. Recycling agents were se-lected from dilute nitric acid (pH=3), sodium hydroxide solution (pH=12) and distilled water. Among three agents, dilute metric acid (pH=3) was the best recycling agent. Regeneration rate of IOCPCF arrived at 82.56% at batch adsorption and regeneration was finished in 75min at column adsorption. Adsorp-tion-desorption cycles of IOCPCF after batch and column adsorption were four and three times, respectively. Further, compared with fresh IOCPCF, MB removal rate with these desorbed IOCPCF adsorption only slightly decreased, which suggested that IOCPCF should be used repeatedly.

Preparation and Characterization of Nanotitanium Dioxide Coating Film Doped with Fe^(3+) Ions on Porous Ceramic

The nanotitanium dioxide （TiO2） photocatalytic and porous ceramic filtering technique is one of the advanced methods to effectively treat organic wastewater. The TiO2 sol doped with Fe^3＋ ions was prepared by sol-gel processing. The influences of the process conditions of coating nanophotocatalytic material- Fe^3＋-TiO2 film on the surface of porous ceramic filter by dipping-lift method on the performance of porous ceramic filter were studied. The porous ceramic filters have two functions at the same time, filtration and photocatalytic degradation. The results of this study showed that the pH and viscosity of the sol, amount of Fe^3＋ ions doped as well as the coating times greatly affect the quality of coating film, the performance parameters and the photocatalytic activity of the porous ceramic filter. When the pH of the sol is 3-4, the viscosity is about 6 mPa.S, the amount of doped Fe^3＋ ions is about 2.0 g/L, the porous ceramic filter has been shown to have the best filtering performance and photocatalytic activity. In this condition, the porosity of porous ceramic is about 42.5%, the pore diameter is 8-10μm. The degradation of methyl-orange is 74.76% under lighting for 120 rain.