Fabrication of in-situ self-reinforced Si3N4 ceramic foams for high-temperature thermal insulation by protein foaming method

Abstract To meet demand for lightweight and high-strength ceramic foams, in-situ self-reinforced Si3N4 ceramic foams, with compressive strength of 13.2–45.9 MPa, were fabricated by protein foaming method combined with sintered reaction-bonded method. For comparison, ordinary protein foamed ceramics with irregular block microstructure were fabricated via reaction-bonded method, which had compressive strength of 3.6–20.5 MPa. Physical properties of these two types of samples were systematically compared. When open porosity was about 80%, both types of Si3N4 ceramic foams had excellent thermal insulation properties (