Mechanically Strong and hierarchical porous silica ceramics via gelcasting-lyophilization

Highly porous silica ceramics were prepared by in-situ gelation of an aqueous suspension with well dispersed silica particles and N′N-dimethylacrylamide (DMAA) monomer, followed by lyophilization and pressureless sintering. The gelcasting process was imparted by polymerization of DMAA. The silica raw materials used in this experiment are the dusts collected from the exhaust fumes of silicon industry. The as-obtained porous silica ceramics had three-dimensional and hierarchical pore structure and the porosity ranged from 75 to 88 % as the sintering temperature varied from 850 to 1050°C. In addition, the porous silica ceramics appeared to have strong mechanical strength. Compressive strength of the porous silica ceramics was as high as 3.2 MPa even when the porosity was nearly 80%. The gelcasting-lyophilization method was proved to be a novel and promising route for the preparation of highly porous and mechanically strong materials.