Wet foams hydrophobized by amphiphiles to give Al_2O_3 Porous Ceramics

摘要

Wet chemical method to prepare ceramic foams with antecedent stability using inorganic particles (Al_2O_3, SiO_2 etc.) which are in situ hydrophobized upon adsorption of short-chain amphiphilic molecules in the wet state and heightened mechanical property in the sintered state was developed. These wet foams are stable over several days and show no bubble coarsening nor drainage or creaming. This long-term stability is achieved through the irreversible adsorption of partially hydrophobized colloidal particles to the air-water interface using short-chain amphiphiles to in situ modify the wetting behavior of the particle surface based on the observations of Pickering emulsions. As a result, the suspension is foamed homogeneously throughout its entire volume and porous bulk materials can be produced upon drying and sintering. Wet foams featuring average bubble sizes between 30 and 300μm and sintered foams with porosity from 50 to 85% were obtained by adjusting the amphiphile - particle concentration, and additives in the initial suspension. Cells were mostly closed with an average size of approximately 150 μm. Single cells were separated by walls with minimum thicknesses of 1-3 μm.