Method of making open cell material
AssigneeNational Research Council of Canada
InventorsLouis-Philippe Lefebvre, Yannig Thomas
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Abstract
The porous material of the present invention is produced by heating a dry powder mixture, containing mainly an organic solid binder and inorganic particles. The mixture is foamed while the organic binder is melted. Foaming comes from a foaming agent in the powder mixture. The solid foamed structure comprising inorganic particles embedded in an organic binder is then heated to eliminate the organic binder and finally to sinter the remaining inorganic tri-dimensional network into a rigid structure having interconnected porosity.
Claims40
A method of making a porous body, comprising the steps of:
- a) providing a dry flowable powder mixture comprising 10-90 wt. % of sinterable inorganic particles, 10-90 wt. % of binder, and 0.25-5 wt. % of foaming agent;
- b) shaping the flowable mixture into a predetermined form;
- c) heating the resulting product to melt said binder while inducing foaming in the mixture;
- d) heating the product obtained in c) to pyrolyze said binder;
- and
- e) sintering the obtained product to form a solid low-density open-cell foam.
A method of making a porous body, comprising the steps of:
- a) providing a dry flowable powder mixture comprising 10-90 wt. % of sinterable particles, 10-90 wt. % of binder, and 0.25-5 wt. % of solid foaming agent;
- b) shaping the flowable mixture into a predetermined form;
- c) heating said product to melt said binder so that it flows around said sinterable particles to close pores in the mixture;
- d) inducing foaming in the mixture;
- e) heating the product of d) to burn out said binder;
- and
- f) sintering the resulting product to form a solid low-density open-cell foam.
A precursor composition for making sintered porous bodies in the form of a dry flowable powder mixture comprising 10-90 wt. % of sinterable particles, 10-90 wt. % of binder, and 0.25-5 wt. % of foaming agent.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.