Ti2AlC foams produced by gel-casting

Abstract

Ti2AlC foams possessing an almost completely open porosity ranging from 87 to 93vol% were manufactured by gel-casting using agarose. By laying the samples on a Ti3AlC2 powder bed while sintering at 1400°C, it was possible to retain a large amount of the Ti2AlC phase in the final ceramic foams. Increasing the agarose content in the slurry decreased the amount of total porosity as well as the cell and cell window size. The average cell size ranged from 335 to 615μm and the average cell window size ranged from 72 to 162μm for foams with a porosity of 87 and 93vol%, respectively. A reduction in total porosity and in average cell and cell window size led to a decrease in permeability of the cellular structures. The strength of the foams ranged from 1.60 to 2.79MPa, depending on the amount of porosity.