Process for the production of porous ceramics using decomposable polymeric microspheres and the resultant product
AssigneeWashington Research Foundation
InventorsBirol Sonuparlak, Ilhan A. Aksay
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Abstract
A process for producing porous ceramics with controlled microstructure. Colloidal suspensions of polymeric microspheres of a selected size and shape, and aluminum oxide particles are consolidated to form a compact. The compact is heated to decompose the microspheres to leave pores, and to sinter the compact, to form a porous ceramic body with a plurality of pores preferably substantially the same size and shape, where the pores are substantially spherical and are evenly distributed and noncontiguous throughout the ceramic matrix and with strength comparable to its dense state.
Claims56
A process for preparing a porous ceramic body with controlled microstructure consisting of pores of predetermined size, shape and spatial distribution, comprising the steps of:
- a. forming a colloidal suspension of polymeric microspheres of substantially the same size and substantially spherical in shape, and particles of a ceramic material in a liquid medium;
- b. stabilizing the particle-particle interactions between the microspheres and the particles of ceramic material in the colloidal suspension;
- c. consolidating said colloidal suspension to remove the liquid and to form a compact body;
- and
- d. heating said compact body to decompose said microspheres and to sinter said compact body into a porous ceramic body with a plurality of evenly distributed, noncontiguous pores.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.