Effect of soybean isolate protein and glucono‐δ‐lactone on porous cordierite structure and properties

Abstract This study presented the in situ generation of a flexible pore‐forming agent within the cordierite system, using soybean isolate protein and glucono‐δ‐lactone, to produce porous cordierite with an interconnected pore structure. The properties of cordierite ceramics were systematically investigated by adjusting the sintering temperature and holding time to clarify the optimal sintering procedure. Under optimal sintering conditions, the effects of the amount of pore‐forming agents on the microstructure, phase composition, and mechanical properties of cordierite porous ceramics were investigated. The results indicated that a significant pore‐forming effect could be achieved with a less addition of the pore‐forming agents. When the amount of the pore‐forming agents was 5 wt%, the porosity reached as high as 51.50% ± 3.55%, accompanied by a thermal expansion coefficient of 1.44 × 10 ⁻⁶ K ⁻¹ and a bending strength of 14.33 ± 0.57 MPa. In addition, the samples exhibited an interconnected pore structure. The prepared porous cordierite ceramics show potential in auto exhaust gas filtration.