Al2O3 ceramics with well-oriented and hexagonally ordered pores: The formation of microstructures and the control of properties

In the present work, the formation processes of the obtained microstructures including gel formation, drying and finally sintering have been elaborately discussed in order to obtain the optimal pore structures of porous alumina ceramics with well-defined microstructures using a self-organization route of alginate. Especially, we chose one of the most critical parameters, sintering temperatures, to effectively adjust in detail the microstructures, pore size distribution, porosities and hence properties of the fabricated samples. Deep discussions about the properties revealed two advantages of the present technique in both permeability compared to ceramic foams with random pores and mechanical strength based on theoretical calculation. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.