Controlled fabrication of porous Al2O3 ceramic by N,N′-dimethylformamide-based gel-casting

Alumina ceramic with controlled porosity and small pore sizes of <3 μm can be successfully fabricated via a novel and facile N,N′-dimethylformamide-based gel-casting technology without using any pore-forming agents, and its drying process can be completed within 10 h by simple heating. When regulating the content initially and changing the processing conditions, the porosity can be controlled between 82% and 29%, as the compressive strength of the porous ceramic remarkably varied from 3.8 to 79 MPa.