Fabrication and parametric optimization of SiO2-BN gelcast ceramic composites using response surface methodology

Gelcasting, a novel technique was introduced to fabricate SiO2-BN ceramic composites with controlled porosity and flexural strength. Aqueous SiO2-BN slurries with solids content up to 50% were prepared by varied contents of boron nitride, monomers, and their ratio. The effects of these parameters on the properties of ceramic composites were investigated by developing mathematical models using response surface methodology. In the present work, central composite face-centered design with 6 center points was used. The optimized values obtained for maximum flexural strength is 77.6 NfPa and that of porosity is 23.72% respectively. The results show that optimization techniques have a potential in the fabrication of ceramic composites. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.