Preparation of Na-beta″-alumina film by tape casting process

This study focused on the preparation of Na-beta″-alumina film by a tape casting process. The effects of solvent, dispersant, binder, plasticizer contents, as well as milling time on the rheological properties of the slurry were investigated. The dispersion of the ceramic powder in the slurry was optimized by ball milling an azeotropic mixture of methyethylketone (MEK) and ethanol (EtOH) as the solvent, 2 wt% triethanolamine as the dispersant, 7 wt% PVB as the binder for 4 h. Green Na-beta″-alumina thick films with thickness of 100–300 μm and homogeneous microstructure were obtained and further sintered at 1600 °C to obtain a relatively dense membrane with a thickness of ca. 100 μm. The conductivity of the sintered ceramic was comparable to that obtained by the conventional isostatic pressing and sintering method.