Tsinghua University developed a new "sponge ceramic" material

[China Packaging Network News] It is well known that ceramics are widely used in many manufacturing industries due to their high strength. However, the biggest drawback of this material is brittleness. Recently, the research team of Tsinghua University developed a "sponge ceramic" that can overcome this shortcoming.

This new type of ceramic material is ultra-light and heat-resistant. It does not have the problem of brittleness of traditional consumer ceramics, and its preparation process is rapid and economic. It is expected to be used in the fields of heat insulation, firefighters' protective clothing, and water filtration in the future. The research results were published in the recent "Scientific Progress."

This material is made by weaving together ceramic nanofibers embedded in a sponge and is therefore very light. The specific working principle is that the ceramic solution is sprayed from the tiny spinning holes into the spinning box, and then the spun filaments will be tangled together, just like cotton candy is made from sugar thread.

Therefore, the resulting material can be as light and soft as marshmallow. When one squeezes the ceramic material, it can be flattened and then bounced back to the approximate original shape without being damaged.

This preparation method is more time-saving and less expensive than 3D printing or electrospinning, and can achieve large-scale production. According to Huajian Gao, the author of the article, the study aims to prepare a material that can be highly deformed and can withstand high temperatures.
In the actual research process, the researchers tried several different ceramic materials to prepare the sponge, including titanium dioxide and zirconia. These materials are very good insulation materials themselves.

To test their heat resistance, the researchers placed the petals on different materials, such as iron, alumina foam, and new zirconia ceramic sponges. The heating element on the top heats it to 752 degrees. After 10 minutes, the petals on iron, aluminum oxide foam and other materials become crunchy. The petals on the zirconia ceramic sponge just got a little withered, and after one hour, the temperature at the top of the sponge was only 200 degrees, showing good heat resistance.

Researchers hope to take advantage of this advantage and use it in thermal insulation materials, even fire fighting clothing that requires weight, flexibility, and thermal insulation. Previously, flexible heat-resistant ceramics were developed, but they are mostly similar to thin paper rather than cotton balls, and their application range is often limited to the electronics industry.

In addition to heat resistance, sponge ceramics also have good permeability and can therefore be used to filter sewage and remove contaminating particles in the light. In modern water filtration technology, the filter materials used are mostly powdered and difficult to reuse. This new type of ceramic material can decompose the artificial dye in only 15 minutes under light irradiation, and the cleaned water can be reused after being extruded out of the ceramic.

The results of this study demonstrate that this sponge ceramic can be prepared, but commercial applications still require time.