Three-dimensional structure analysis by X-ray micro-computed tomography of macroporous alumina templated with expandable microspheres

• The three-dimensional (3D) structures of macroporous alumina, produced by a novel method that combines gel casting with expandable polymericmicrospheres as a sacrificial templating material, have been characterised by X-ray micro-computed tomography (µ-CT). The grey-scale intensitytomogram data produced by the X-ray µ-CT was segmented into porous and solid phases and the individual pores were identified. We comparedtwo-dimensional slices of the analysed data with the corresponding scanning electron microscopy images and showed that the structural featuresof the pores were well reproduced in the X-ray µ-CT images. 3D visualisations of the pore structure and the pore network were also shown. Theopen porosity obtained from X-ray µ-CT corresponded well with the porosity derived from mercury porosimetry for pores larger than the voxeldimension (3 µm). The quantitative analysis also yielded information on the spatial variations in porosity and the number of connected neighboursof pores. The 3D data was used to relate the calculated permeability to the open porosity.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Kemi -- Oorganisk kemi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Chemical Sciences -- Inorganic Chemistry (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Porosity; X-ray methods; Non-destructive evaluation; Al2O3; Expandable microspheres

Inorganic chemistry

Oorganisk kemi

Materials Chemistry

materialkemi

Publikations- och innehållstyp

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