Composition and methods for making glass ceramic porous structures

Abstract

Porous structures are made from compositions that include hollow glass bodies and an inorganic powder. The inorganic powder may act as a rigid frame member, a crystallization agent, or both, which reduces the shrinkage of the porous structures during firing. The porous structures made therefrom have an open porosity of greater than 70% and reduced shrinkage of less than 10% compared to the green structures prior to firing. Methods for firing the green structures made from the compositions are also disclosed, the firing methods including reducing a temperature ramping rate of the green structures during a crystallization temperature range of the glass of the hollow bodies.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.