Preparation of porous cordierite ceramic by gel-casting method

Porous cordierite ceramics were synthesised by gel-casting method, using talcum powder, kaolin and alumina as raw materials. Organic monomers and cross-linker were used as additives. The phase composition and microstructure were investigated by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope. The open porosity, compressive strength and thermal expansion coefficient were tested by the Archimedes method, universal testing machine and thermal expansion instrument, respectively. The results indicate that sintering temperature and holding time have a great influence on the cordierite properties. We obtain the good performance of porous cordierite ceramic sintering at 1350°C for 3 h. The cordierite phase content in the sample is higher and the crystallinity is better. At this point, the porosity is 58.53%, the compressive strength is 22.44 MPa and thermal expansion coefficient reaches 1.69 × 10−6 °C−1.