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Gel-Casting Prepared Porous Si3N4 Ceramics with Different Contents of Y2O3 and Al2O3 Additives

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Abstract

Porous Si3N4 ceramics were prepared via a controlled gel-casting process followed by gas pressure sintering with 8 wt.% Y2O3 and Al2O3 additives. The gel-casting parameters including slurry pH value, AM: MBAM ratio, degassing procedure, drying condition and decarbonize process were optimized, and the effects of different Y2O3: Al2O3 ratios on the microstructure and properties of the Si3N4 ceramics were investigated. With an optimized gel-casting process, a high solid loading of 46.5 vol.% was achieved, and as the Y2O3 content decreased from 6 to 1 wt.%, the porosity of Si3N4 ceramics declined from 36.3 to 27.5% while the β-Si3N4 phase content reduced from 38.9 to 15.0%. The bending strength and elastic modulus of the ceramics varied with different Y2O3: Al2O3 ratios and were influenced by the porosity as well as the tailored interlocking structure of elongated β-Si3N4 grains. The Si3N4 ceramics also exhibited low and stable dielectric constants.

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Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledged the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51802348) and Shanxi Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 2018JQ5111).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Advanced Interdisciplinary Technology Research Center, National Innovation Institute of Defense Technology, Beijing, 100071, China

    Chunrong Zou, Shaojun Guo, Xiaosong Zhou, Song Li & Tongsheng Shen

  2. Rocket Force University of Engineering, Xi’an, 710025, China

    Chunlei Yan

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  1. Chunrong Zou
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  2. Shaojun Guo
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  3. Xiaosong Zhou
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  4. Song Li
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Correspondence to Tongsheng Shen.

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Zou, C., Guo, S., Zhou, X. et al. Gel-Casting Prepared Porous Si3N4 Ceramics with Different Contents of Y2O3 and Al2O3 Additives. J. of Materi Eng and Perform 29, 7891–7898 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-020-05314-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-020-05314-7

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