2-carboxyethyl acrylate as a new monomer preventing negative effect of oxygen inhibition in gelcasting of alumina

The paper presents the application of 2-carboxyethyl acrylate as a new monomer in gelcasting of alumina. The research showed that the use of 2-carboxyethyl has a positive influence on the properties of green bodies, limiting the negative effect of oxygen inhibition. Oxygen inhibition which hampers polymerization reaction is a well known negative phenomenon in gelcasting but still not fully overcome for samples formed in air atmosphere. As a reference monomer 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate was used in the research. Rheological behavior of alumina suspensions containing both monomers has been studied, as well as the properties of green and sintered bodies obtained by gelcasting have been measured. The differences in the rheological properties and thus ceramic-monomer interactions in the slurries has been analyzed. The high values of densities and mechanical strength, accompanied with the pictures of microstructures of sintered ceramic parts have been presented, as a result of a successfully completed gelcasting process of alumina powder.