Fabrication and Characterization of Porous Silicon Nitride Bodies through Starch Consolidation Casting and Pressureless Sintering

Haghshenas Gorgani, Mehran; Mirkazemi, S. M.; Golestani Fard, Farhad

doi:10.30501/acp.2019.95731

Fabrication and Characterization of Porous Silicon Nitride Bodies through Starch Consolidation Casting and Pressureless Sintering

Authors

Mehran Haghshenas Gorgani

S. M. Mirkazemi

Farhad Golestani Fard

Department of Metallurgy and Materials Science, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran

10.30501/acp.2019.95731

Abstract

Porous Si₃N₄ ceramics were prepared by a novel colloidal method called starch consolidation casting. In this method, starch plays both pore-forming and consolidating roles. The effect of starch content on the viscosity of Si₃N₄/starch slurry was investigated in this research. Rotational Rheometer was used to study the rheological behavior of Si₃N₄/starch slurry. Green samples with 5 to 10MPa flexural strength were shaped by casting slurries in a nonporous mold and held at 80°C for 120min. Afterward the samples burned-out and sintered at 1650°C for 4h in an air furnace under a nitride powder bed condition. Thermal behavior, phase evolution, and microstructure of sintered samples were characterized through Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The XRD results showed that was the main phase in the sintered samples. The phase content was as much as 90wt% in the sintered samples. Finally, a porous silicon nitride sample was successfully produced with 44vol% open porosity and Flexural strength of 108.9MPa through the starch consolidation casting method.

Keywords

Starch Consolidation

Gel-Casting

Porous Ceramics

Si3N4

Subjects

1. Hampshire, S., “Silicon nitride ceramics – review of structure , processing and properties”, Journal of Achievements in Materials and Manufacturing Engineering, vol. 24, No. 1, (2007), 43–50.
2. Yang, J.F., Deng, Z.Y., Ohji, T., “Fabrication and characterisation of porous silicon nitride ceramics using Yb₂O₃ as sintering additive”, Journal of the European Ceramic Society, Vol. 23, No. 2, (2003), 371-378.
3. Yang, J., Yang, J.F., Shan, S.Y., Gao, J.Q., Ohji, T., “Effect of sintering additives on microstructure and mechanical properties of porous silicon nitride ceramics”, Journal of the American Ceramic Society, Vol. 89, No. 12, (2006), 3843-3845.
4. Kalemtas, A., Topates, G., Özcoban, H., Mandal, H., Kara, F., Janssen, R., “Mechanical characterization of highly porous β-Si₃N₄ ceramics fabricated via partial sintering & starch addition”, Journal of the European Ceramic Society, Vol. 33, No. 9, (2013), 1507-1515.
5. Li, X., Zhang, L., Yin, X., “Fabrication and properties of porous Si₃N₄ ceramic with high porosity”, Journal of Materials Science & Technology, Vol. 28, No. 12, (2012), 1151-1156.
6. Shan, S.Y., Yang, J.F., Gao, J.Q., Zhang, W.H., Jin, Z.H., Janssen, R., Ohji, T., “Porous silicon nitride ceramics prepared by reduction–nitridation of silica”, Journal of the American Ceramic Society, Vol. 88, No. 9, (2005), 2594-2596.
7. Li, Y., Chen, F., Li, L., Zhang, W., Yu, H., Shan, Y., Shen, Q., Jiang, H., “Gas pressure sintering of arbitrary porous silicon nitride ceramics with high mechanical strength”, Journal of the American Ceramic Society, Vol. 93, No. 6, (2010), 1565-1568.
8. Li, L., Wang, H., Su, S., “Porous Si₃N₄ ceramics prepared by TBA-based gel-casting”, Journal of Materials Science & Technology, Vol. 31, No. 3, (2015), 295-299.
9. Yang, J., Yu, J., Huang, Y., “Recent developments in gelcasting of ceramics”, Journal of the European Ceramic Society, Vol. 31, No. 14, (2011), 2569-2591.
10. Lyckfeldt, O., Ferreira, M. F., “Processing of Porous Ceramics by ‘Starch Consolidation”, Journal of the European Ceramic Society, Vol. 18, No. 2, (1998), 131–140.
11. Huang, Y., Yang, J., “Generation, development, inheritance, and control of the defects during the transformation from suspension to green body” in Novel Colloidal Forming of Ceramics, Springer, Tsinghua University Press, Beijing and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, (2010), pp. 129–210.
12. Ha, C.G., Jung, Y.G., Kim, J.W., Jo, C.Y., Paik, U., “Effect of particle size on gelcasting process and green properties in alumina”, Materials Science and Engineering: A, Vol. 337, No. 1-2, (2002), 212-221.
13. Yang, J., Xie, Z., Tang, Q., Huang, Y., “studies on rheological behaviour and gelcasting of alpha-Al₂O₃ suspension”, Journal of the Chinese Ceramic Society, Vol. 26, No. 1, (1998), 41-46.
14. Chen, L., Song, X.L., Ye, J.D., Li, B., “Colloidal in-situ consolidation forming of Al₂O₃ ceramics using modified starch”, In Key Engineering Materials, Vol. 280, (2005), pp. 1027-1032, Trans Tech Publications.
15. Tulliani, J.M., Lombardi, M., Palmero, P., Fornabaio, M., Gibson, L.J., “Development and mechanical characterization of novel ceramic foams fabricated by gel-casting”, Journal of the European Ceramic Society, Vol. 33, No. 9, (2013), 1567-1576.
16. Adolfsson, E., “Gelcasting of zirconia using agarose”, Journal of the American Ceramic Society, Vol. 89, (2006), 1897–1902.
17. Xu, J., Gan, K., Yang, M., Qu, Y., Wu, J., Yang, J., “Direct coagulation casting of yttria-stabilized zirconia using magnesium citrate and glycerol diacetate”, Ceramics International, Vol. 41, No. 4, (2015), 5772-5778
18. Khattab, R.M., Wahsh, M.M.S., Khalil, N.M., “Preparation and characterization of porous alumina ceramics through starch consolidation casting technique”, Ceramics International, Vol. 38, No. 6, (2012), 4723-4728.
19. Chandradass, J., Kim, K.H., sik Bae, D., Prasad, K., Balachandar, G., Divya, S.A., Balasubramanian, M., “Starch consolidation of alumina: Fabrication and mechanical properties”, Journal of the European Ceramic Society, Vol. 29, No. 11, (2009), 2219-2224.
20. Gregorová, E., Pabst, W., “Process control and optimized preparation of porous alumina ceramics by starch consolidation casting”, Journal of the European Ceramic Society, Vol. 31, No. 12, (2011), 2073-2081.
21. Alves, H.M., Tarı, G., Fonseca, A.T., Ferreira, J.M.F., “Processing of porous cordierite bodies by starch consolidation”, Materials Research Bulletin, Vol. 33, No. 10, (1998), 1439-1448.
22. Xiao-jiana, M.A.O., Shi-weia, W.A.N.G., Shun-zoa, S.H.I.M.A.I., “Preparation of porous silica ceramics with low dielectric constant”, Chinese Journal of Aeronautic, Vol. 19, No. S1, (2006), 239-243.
23. Mahata, S., Nandi, M.M., Mondal, B., “Preparation of high solid loading titania suspension in gelcasting using modified boiling rice extract (MBRE) as binder”, Ceramics International, Vol. 38, No. 2, (2012), 909-918.
24. Marins, E. M., de Lucena, E.F., de Paula Santos, F., de Campos, E., Melo, F.C.L., Netto, D.B., “Commercial starch consolidation technique for shaping silicon carbide ceramics”, in 17^th International Congress of Mechanical Engineering, Sao-Paoulo, SP, eleasar@ lcp. inpe. br., (2003).
25. Dı́az, A., Hampshire, S., “Characterisation of porous silicon nitride materials produced with starch”, Journal of the European Ceramic Society, Vol. 24, No. 2, (2004), 413-419.
26. Yu, J., Wang, H., Zeng, H., Zhang, J., “Effect of monomer content on physical properties of silicon nitride ceramic green body prepared by gelcasting”, Ceramics International, Vol. 35, No. 3, (2009), 1039-1044.
27. Parsi, A., Golestani-Fard, F., Mirkazemi, S.M., “The effect of gelcasting parameters on microstructural optimization of porous Si₃N₄ceramics”, Ceramics International, Vol. 45, No. 8, (2019), 9719-9725.