Materials Sciences and Applications

Volume 9, Issue 12 (November 2018)

ISSN Print: 2153-117X   ISSN Online: 2153-1188

Google-based Impact Factor: 1.34  Citations  

Green Microstructural Visualization of Dry-Pressed Spray-Dried Alumina (Al2O3)

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DOI: 10.4236/msa.2019.912067    1,038 Downloads   1,966 Views  Citations

ABSTRACT

Slurry parameters were controlled prior to spray-drying to visualize and govern an understanding of which parameters govern hollow coring and granule morphology during spray-drying. An aqueous alumina using a polyvinyl alcohol binder (PVA) system was analyzed and granules were processed by altering the slurry specific gravity and viscosity value prior to spray-drying. Spray-dried granules were uniaxial dry-pressed at varying moisture contents to show the plasticizing effects of moisture during compaction. A novel characterization method using a field emission electron microscope (FESEM) was implemented to image the green microstructures of the granules and compacted samples. Slurries with a higher specific gravity and viscosity resulted in denser granules with spherical shapes. Viscosity affected the binder segregation during the spray-drying process. Granules stored at higher moisture contents resulted in denser compacts with fewer intergranular pores and cracks along granule boundaries. Using a FESEM resulted in higher resolution for green microstructural characterization.

Share and Cite:

Maher, I. and Haber, R. (2018) Green Microstructural Visualization of Dry-Pressed Spray-Dried Alumina (Al2O3). Materials Sciences and Applications, 9, 936-948. doi: 10.4236/msa.2019.912067.

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