Protein plasticizers for aqueous suspensions of micrometric- and nanometric-alumina powder

Ovoalbumin and its hydrolysate were developed as economical and environmental friendly plasticizers for the production of engineering ceramics from micrometric- and nanometric-sized powders. These proteins are feasible as replacements for commonly used petrochemicals that suffer from problems of toxicity, volatility, flammability, and high cost. A key advantage to protein-based additives is that they are available from inexpensive plant and animal sources (e.g. waste products such as slaughterhouse blood, by-products from meat and plant production). Aqueous alumina suspensions and high-density aqueous alumina pastes were blended with such proteins to form green bodies that were easily moldable and could be sintered to full density without cracking. The application of proteins provides thermally induced gelation of aqueous alumina suspensions.