Effects of PMMA on porous structure of pollucite

The effects of PMMA as a pore-forming reagent and the powder for Cs-deficient pollucite, Cs9Al0.9Si2.1O6, calcined at 1073 K, on the microstructure of the porous body of Cs0.9Al0.9Si2.1O6 were investigated. The Cs0.9Al0.9Si2.1O6 porous bodies were fabricated by sintering the green compacts of the calcined powder and PMMA adding 35 mass% to the calcined powder. When the green compact was heated at 873 K in air for 20 h, pores <1 μm were observed in the porous body, suggesting that the PMMA previously dissolved in acetone was uniformly distributed in the calcined powder by the ball milling. The pore size of the obtained porous structure increased with increasing the size of the aggregated particles and the pore size distribution was significantly related to the size of Al2O3 balls and the time for the ball milling for mixing the calcined powders and PMMA.