Journal of the American Ceramic Society, Vol.87, No.11, 2014-2019, 2004
Room-temperature freeze casting for ceramics with nonaqueous sublimable vehicles in the naphthalene-camphor eutectic system
Freeze casting for Al2O3 was accomplished at room temperature with nonaqueous sublimable vehicles in the naphthalene-camphor eutectic system with a eutectic temperature of 31degreesC. A fully dense sintered body (>99.5% of theoretical density (T.D.)) was obtained with a eutectic composition vehicle, whereas at most 90% T.D. was obtained with an off-eutectic (i.e., hypo- or hypereutectic) composition vehicle due to formation of large uniquely shaped voids. Microstructural observation suggested that growing pro-eutectic crystals rejected the suspended Al2O3 particles to form large voids during the solidification process. At the eutectic composition, formation of fine lamellar microstructure in a solidified vehicle is considered to inhibit particle rejection resulting in large voids.