Sintering of porous alumina using an alumina slurry containing aluminum and polysiloxane

Abstract

We herein describe the sintering of a slurry containing alumina, aluminum, and polysiloxane. After sintering, porous alumina was obtained with an increased bulk density but without any remarkable change in volume. In addition, necking was found to occur between the alumina and aluminum particles due to the formation of an aluminum silicate layer by polysiloxane upon sintering at 800°C, and this necking resulted in volume expansion upon further heating. Furthermore, the bulk density of the sample increased due to aluminum filling the spaces between particles during aluminum oxidation when sintering at temperatures ≥1200°C.