Porous Ceramic Structures Obtained from Calcium Carbonate as Pore Generating Agent
The aim of this work is to present experimental results related to the use of calcium carbonate as pore generating agent. Four compositions containing 20 wt.% of limestone were used and characterized chemically and thermally. Each composition was homogenized in a porcelain ball mill, dried in a laboratory drier, humidified at 7 wt.%, and pressed in an uniaxial hydraulic press. Compacted samples were dried and heat treated with a suitable heating rate for the degasification of calcium carbonate and sintered at 800, 900, and 1050 °C. Sintered samples were characterized to determine the porosity, crystalline phases formed and microstructural features. The results showed that the porosity has increased with the sintering temperature of the compositions increasing due porosity generated by the calcium carbonate degasification and the material expansion.