The association of the gelcasting process with the aeration of ceramic suspensions containing a surfactant allowed the development of a new category of ceramic foams, which shows unprecedented properties. One of the key points of this process is the gelling reaction of organic monomers dissolved in the liquid phase, which sets the foamed suspension avoiding its collapse. Recently, a variety of monomeric systems were described as good gelling agents for ceramic suspensions, namely ammonium acrylate, hydroxymethil-acryalmide, methacrylic acid, methacrylamide and methylene-bysacrylamide. These systems were studied in this work considering the criteria required to produce ceramic foams, including the reaction kinetics, the effects of monomer type on dispersion mechanisms and rheological behavior of suspensions, and the green strength of wet and dried gelled bodies. The association of pairs of monomers were also evaluated considering the same criteria. The results allowed a better comprehension of the phenomena observed during the process, and lay fundaments for the selection of gelling systems for the production of porous ceramics through this novel route.
porous ceramics; foam; gelcasting; monomers; polymerization; gel
