| Abstract Scope |
Ceramic foams find applications in numerous technological fields, such as filters, catalytic supports, among others. To produce these ceramics, the most employed method known is the replica technique. This method consists of impregnating a ceramic slurry in a polymeric foam, followed by thermal treatment to densify the open-celled ceramic structure. In nature, it is possible to find complex and regular structures, like the Luffa sp. sponges, which present a good alternative to the synthetic sponges used in this method. In this work, we evaluated the microwave sinterability of open-celled alumina foams produced by the replica technique, sintered at 1550, 1600, and 1650 °C, with soaking times of 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes. These samples were compared with conventionally sintered samples and evaluated regarding their macro and microstructural homogeneity, densification, mechanical resistance, and fluid permeability. Acknowledgements: FAPESP (Grant numbers 2019/25921-8 and 2017/13769-1) CAPES (Finance code 001) and CNPq (Grant 140180/2021-4). |