Porous aluminum titanate‒strontium feldspar‒mullite fiber composite ceramics with enhanced pore structures and mechanical properties

Abstract This study demonstrates the pore structures and mechanical properties of porous aluminum titanate‒strontium feldspar‒mullite fiber (ASM) composite ceramics. Samples were prepared using two different processes. A traditional reactive sintering method, with Al2O3 and TiO2 as raw materials, was used to prepare one group of samples, and an improved method, using aluminum titanate (AT) clinkers, was used to prepare another group of samples. The effects of the processes and raw materials on the pore structure and mechanical properties of the composite ceramics were investigated. The properties of the sintered porous ceramics, including the microstructure, density, porosity, pore size, and mechanical properties, were analyzed. After sintered at 1400 °C, the ASM ceramics that were prepared using the improved method had a porosity level of 70% and a pore size of 24 µm, which were twice that of the traditional ASM ceramics, while both samples had identical flexural strength values of 2.27 MPa. The improved process endowed the porous ASM ceramics with excellent pore structures and mechanical properties, promoting their potential use in filter applications.