Role of starch in the ceramic powder synthesis: a review

Abstract

The main goal of this work was to demonstrate a broad range of starch applications in ceramic powder synthesis, and to point out that starch and its derivatives can successfully replace polyvinyl derivatives commonly used in ceramic formulations, as they are water-soluble saccharides, burn out more easily, reduce the exothermicity of the combustion reaction, and allow to receive fine and uniform ceramic powders. Starch is an eco-friendly and easily transformable natural carbohydrate polymer that is found in a variety of applications in ceramics and materials science. In this paper, we review the influence of starch on the physicochemical properties of the ceramic powders obtained by means of various synthesis methods (sol–gel method, combustion process, combined methods, and hydrothermal synthesis). Starch plays a differentiated role in each of these methods, i.e., it is a polymerizing agent in sol–gel method, a fuel in combustion process, and a substrate for carbon spheres in hydrothermal synthesis. [Figure not available: see fulltext.].