Influence of corn flour as pore forming agent on porous ceramic material based mullite: Morphology and mechanical properties

Porous material was processed by the mixing, molding and pressing the ceramic material, afterward burnout and sintering; through the forming porous, using corn flour at different concentration (10, 15 and 20 wt.%) as a pore forming agent; in order to determinate the influence of porous on the mechanical, morphological and structural properties. The effect of the volume fraction of corn flour in the mullite matrix, at various sintering temperature from 1100, 1200, 1300 and 1500°C were tested by Diffraction X ray, showing changes in crystalline phases of mullite (3Al2O3-2SiO2), as result of sintered temperatures. Presence of talcum powder in formula, also cause the formation of the cordierite and cristobalite crystalline phases, giving stability and adhesion to the structure of ceramic material. When sintering at temperatures between 1300 to 1500°C, and it was used the concentration of corn flour 15-20 wt.% as forming agent porous, it was found the better mechanical properties. The scanning electron microscopy analysis shows the presence of open porosity and anisotropy