Viscosity Study to Optimize a Slurry of Alumina Mixed with Hollow Microspheres

Porous alumina ceramics are involved in many industrial applications due to the exceptional properties of these products. This study addresses the preparation of porous alumina ceramics using hollow microspheres as a pore-forming agent and slip casting as a green-body-forming technique. A uniform distribution of pores is a basic requirement of a porous material. This study investigates three different slurry systems, i.e., as-prepared alumina slurry, alumina slurry electrostatically dispersed by hydrochloric acid (HCl), and slurry dispersed by the commercial dispersant ‘Darvan C-N’. At a low viscosity, the hollow microspheres in the slurry tend to float, which causes a non-uniform pore distribution. To avoid this phenomenon, the viscosity of the slurry was increased to the extent that the movement of hollow microspheres ceased in the slurry. As a result, a uniform pore distribution was achieved.