Ceramic Foam Synthesis and Its Modification for Use at High Temperature

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Ceramic Foam Synthesis and Its Modification for Use at High Temperature

Karen Peña¹, Vanessa S. Garcia-Cuello¹, Liliana Giraldo¹ and Juan Carlos Moreno-Pirajan²*

¹Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Ciudad Universitaria, Carrera 30 No. 45 03, edificio 451, Bogotá-Colombia. ²Research Group on Porous Solid and Calorimetry, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Universidad de Los Andes, Carrera 1 No. 18 A 10, Bogotá, Colombia

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ABSTRACT:

Many properties of open-cell ceramic foam prepared by means of the sponge replication method can be controlled by adjusting the viscosity of the ceramic slip with respect to the pore count of the polymer sponge template. Ceramic foam obtained by this method was subsequently coated with various materials, such as urea-formaldehyde and carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), and its structural properties were analysed and interpreted in order to establish its potential applicability as a thermal insulator. Ceramic foams were prepared with different densities by varying the density of the ceramic slurries used (1.1845, 1.2798, 1.3567, 1.54332, 1,6543 and 1,7234 g/cm3 ). The physical properties of the ceramic foam produced, such as density, were characterised according to ASTM C 271-94, whereas porosity was characterised using the Archimedes method. The foams were analysed with XRD, SEM and FTIR, among other techniques.

KEYWORDS:

Foam; Ceramic; Isolated temperature; Mullite