Abstract
Porous $Al_2O_3$ dispersed with nano-sized Cu was fabricated by freeze-drying process and solution chemistry method using Cu-nitrate. To prepare porous $Al_2O_3$, camphene was used as the sublimable vehicle. Camphene slurries with $Al_2O_3$ content of 10 vol% were prepared by milling at $50^{\circ}C$ with a small amount of oligomeric polyester dispersant. Freezing of the slurry was done in a Teflon cylinder attached to a copper bottom plate cooled to $-25^{\circ}C$ while unidirectionally controlling the growth direction of the camphene. Pores were subsequently generated by sublimation of the camphene during drying in air for 48 h. The green body was sintered in a furnace at $1400^{\circ}C$ for 1 h. Cu particles were dispersed in porous $Al_2O_3$ by calcination and hydrogen reduction of Cu-nitrate. The sintered samples showed large pores with sizes of about $150{\mu}m$; these pores were aligned parallel to the camphene growth direction. Also, the internal walls of the large pores had relatively small pores due to the traces of camphene left between the concentrated $Al_2O_3$ particles on the internal wall. EDS analysis revealed that the Cu particles were mainly dispersed on the surfaces of the large pores. These results strongly suggest that porous $Al_2O_3$ with Cu dispersion can be successfully fabricated by freeze-drying and solution chemistry routes.