Characterization of Porosity in Ceramic Materials by Small-Angle Scattering: Vycor™ Glass and Silica Aerogel

Porosity is a dominant factor affecting the performance of ceramic materials. Failure of structural ceramics, for example, often results from flaws that originate at voids present in green compacts. Ceramists employ the tools of colloid chemistry to prepare powders that sinter in such a way as to eliminate such troublesome voids.