Fabrication of textured α-alumina in high magnetic field via gelcasting with the use of glucose derivative

Textured ceramic materials arouse recently great interest due to the effective improvement of their physical and mechanical properties compared to those not crystalline oriented. Feeble magnetic ceramics, such as alumina can be textured under high magnetic field of 12T during shaping process. The connection between shaping by gelcasting method and crystalline orientation of α-alumina in high magnetic field is reported in this paper. Gelcasting allows obtaining high-quality complex-shaped elements with small quantities of organic binders. A new environmentally friendly compound on the basis of glucose (3-O-acryloyl-D-glucose) was synthesized and applied as a monomer in gelcasting process. The ceramic slurries of solid loading 30-50 vol % have been exposed to high magnetic field at the time of consolidation through an in situ polymerization of used monomer. The degree of crystalline orientation of sintered at 1600°C bodies was evaluated by X-ray diffraction (XRD).