Abstract: An innovative approach has been developed to fabricate reticulated porous ceramics (RPCs) with uniform macrostructure by using the polymeric sponge as the templates. In this approach, the coating process comprises of two stages. In the first stage, the thicker slurry was used to coat uniformly the sponge substrate. The green body was preheated to produce a reticulated perform with enough handling strength after the sponge was burned out. In the second stage, the thinner slurry was used to coat uniformly the preform. The population of the microscopic and macroscopic flaws in the structure is reduced significantly by recoating process. A few filled cells and cell faces occur in the fabrication and the struts were thickened. A statistical evaluation by means of Weibull statistics was carried out on the bend strength data of RPCs, which were prepared by the traditional approach and innovative approach, respectively. The result shows that the mechanical reliability of RPCs is improved by the innovative approach. This innovative approach is very simple and controlled easily, and will open up new technological applications for RPCs.

Key words: Reticulated porous ceramics, Silicon carbide, Suspensions, Coating, Strength