Issue 12/2017 - Scientists use nanotechnology to develop ceramic "sponges"

Scientists use nanotechnology to develop ceramic "sponges"

According to the news released by Brown University in the United States, Brown University and China's Tsinghua University have cooperated with nanofibers to make a ceramic "sponge", which can be compressed and deformed, and can withstand high temperatures and good heat insulation, and has a wide range of potential uses
.
The product is expected to produce nano-ceramic "sponges" on a low-cost, large-scale scale basis for the manufacture of new thermal insulation materials and water purification materials
.
The paper was published in
Science Advances, a sub-journal of the American journal Science.

Cracks on ordinary ceramics will expand rapidly, and slight deformation may shatter
the entire ceramic.
But at the nanoscale, material properties change dramatically, and items made of ceramic nanofibers can be very flexible
.
However, the current main methods of making nanofibers are either not suitable for ceramics, or are costly and time-consuming
.

The team used a technique known as "solution jet spinning," which uses gas pressure to eject a solution containing ceramic material out of an extremely fine pinhole and solidify into nanoscale filaments
.
These threads are collected and heated, the solvent material is removed, and all that remains is a clump of ceramic fibers that look like cotton balls
.

Researchers have successfully made "sponges" from many different types of ceramic materials, and experiments have found that they are compressible, can withstand 800 ° C temperature, and are highly insulated
.
Place the petals on a 7 mm thick zirconia ceramic sponge and heat at 400 °C below for 10 min
, the petals are still intact.