Sustainable Gelcasting of Fused Silica-based Composite Ceramics: A Comparative Study of ISOBAM-104 and Conventional Binders
摘要
A sustainable gelcasting route is presented for fused silica-based (Si3N4–SiO2–Al2O3) ceramic composites by benchmarking a non-toxic, water-soluble ISOBAM-104 binder against the conventional methacrylamide (MAM)/MBAM system. The effect of binder chemistry on slurry processability, gelation behavior, debinding/burnout, densification, and mechanical performance was systematically evaluated. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed characteristic functional groups and binder–ceramic interactions, while thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) clarified degradation behavior and burnout efficiency. Compared with MAM/MBAM, ISOBAM-104 enabled cleaner burnout and improved dimensional stability, resulting in higher density (≈ 2.13 vs ≈ 1.98 g/cm3), higher Vickers hardness (≈ 635 ± 15 HV1 vs ≈ 540 ± 25 HV1), and higher flexural strength (92.5 ± 4.8 vs 78.2 ± 5.1 MPa). The results establish a binder-driven process–structure–property relationship and demonstrate ISOBAM-104 as a robust low-toxicity alternative for manufacturing fused silica-based ceramic composites with improved mechanical reliability.