ZENG Lingke, HU Dongli

(School of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640)

Abstract: A new characterization method of ceramic fiber dispersion was presented to test the amount of ceramic fiber ball to reflect the dispersive property of ceramic fiber. This method can be rapidly and effectively used to evaluate the dispersive property of ceramic fiber. The mechanical stirring was used to disperse ceramic fiber. The effect of stirring on the ceramic fiber dispersion properties and the principle of fiber glomeration was discussed. Hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose and polyacrylamide were added. The dispersive effect and dispersion mechanism of different dispersants were studied. It was found that the effect of stirring is not only shearing and dispersion but also glomeration. When the stirring speed was 400rpm, the effect of glomeration was obvious and it was most difficult to disperse. With the increase of stirring time, the amount of ceramic fiber ball was increased firstly, then decreased, and in the end achieved a dynamic equilibrium. After the equilibrium, the increase in stirring time has no effect on ceramic fiber dispersion. Hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose can greatly reduce the congregation of ceramic fiber; polyacrylamide has a good effect on dispersion of fiber. When the concentration of polyacrylamide is 0.4%, the number of created fiber balls is nearly zero. This showed that the fiber was dispersed well.

Keywords: ceramic fiber, ceramic fiber ball, dispersion, dispersant