Micro porous SiO2-SiC ceramics from particle stabilized foams by direct foaming

Abstract

Porous silicon carbide (SiC) ceramics have been a focus of interesting research in the field of porous materials due to their excellent thermal and mechanical properties, which results in wide spread applications in the industrial field. This study presents an approach for the production of porous SiO2 ceramics using SiC as an additive by the process of direct foaming. The distribution and the microstructure of porous ceramics including the adsorption free energy and Laplace pressure of the particle stabilized colloidal suspension were investigated of around 5.5 × 108 kT and 1.19 mPa respectively to tailor the bubble size and pore size. The wet foam stability was found to be more than 80% and the degree of hydrophobicity achieved from the surfactant (Hexylamine) used can be calculated, measuring the change in the surface tension of the colloidal suspension used.