Abstract
Preparation of SrTiO3 ceramic foam from alkoxide-derived oxide green sheets containing polymer microspheres via polymer extraction has been studied. SrTiO3 suspension in aqueous media was prepared by hydrolysis of Sr(OC3H7i)2 and Ti(OC3H7i)4. Polystyrene microspheres and PVA (poly (vinyl alcohol)) were added to this suspension (weight ratio: SrTiO3/polystyrene/PVA=100/60/8), and then precursor green sheets were produced. Polystyrene microspheres were incorporated in the SrTiO3 matrix phase in this green sheets. The polystyrene microspheres were extracted with organic solvent from the green sheets before the heat treatment. The dimension of the green sheets was not changed by the extraction of the polystyrene microspheres. Ceramic foam with spherical pores could be obtained by the heat treatment of the green sheets after extracting the polystyrene microspheres. Linear shrinkage of the sheets observed in the heat treatment was 20%.
