The application fields of foam ceramics and porous ceramics have expanded to the aerospace sector, electronics, medical materials, and biochemical fields. The widespread use of porous ceramics has garnered significant attention from the global materials community. Therefore, it is undoubtedly necessary to prepare foam ceramic bodies with high strength, uniform pore size, stable performance, and high orderliness, as well as to broaden and develop the application of foam ceramics in various domestic industries.

Initially, they were only used as purification and filtration materials. As the scope of foam ceramic applications continues to expand, their application fields have gradually broadened from filtration and thermal engineering to insulation, sound absorption, electronics, optoelectronics, sensing, environmental biology, and chemistry.

Hot Industries

1. Microporous Membrane Ceramic Separation Membranes: The advantages of microporous ceramic separation membranes, such as resistance to acids and alkalis, corrosion resistance, high temperature tolerance, anti-aging, and long service life, have been recognized and developed for applications in the food industry, biochemical engineering, energy engineering, environmental engineering, electronic technology, and many other fields. With the development of materials science, the preparation and application of graded porous inorganic membranes have become a research hotspot.

2. Biomaterials: Many research institutions are dedicated to the study of porous hydroxyapatite bioceramic materials. Porous hydroxyapatite bioceramics prepared by adding pore-forming agents and making foam ceramics have interconnected pores that facilitate the microcirculation of tissue fluid and promote cell infiltration and growth. The developed foam ceramic hydroxyapatite artificial bones and prosthetic eyes have been used in clinical trials, attracting attention from the medical and materials science communities.

3. Food and Sanitation Industry Applications of Foam Ceramic Materials: Due to their high temperature resistance, corrosion resistance, and excellent biological and chemical properties, foam ceramics can be used in the pharmaceutical industry for the concentration, separation, and purification of physiologically active substances such as enzymes, viruses, vaccines, nucleic acids, and proteins. In the food and beverage industry, they are suitable for filtering beverages and low-alcohol beverages with high requirements for color, aroma, and taste, and are expected to play a role in beer production.

4. Environmental Materials: With the development of modern industry, the emission of harmful gases and wastewater from various sectors has increased significantly. If not properly treated, these emissions can severely impact the human living environment, making environmental protection a key theme of the times. Foam ceramics have been used in automotive catalytic converters for a long time. Deodorizing foam ceramic catalysts can catalytically burn solvents and odorous gases in wastewater to achieve deodorization and purification. High-permeability foam ceramics with high-temperature resistance, sufficient strength, and thermal shock resistance can effectively remove high-temperature dust-containing gases. In urban sewage treatment processes, foam ceramic materials are also used as aeration treatment materials.

5. Insulation Materials: Foam ceramics have low thermal conductivity and excellent thermal shock resistance, making them ideal heat-resistant materials. Typical heat-resistant materials made from foam ceramics include refractory bricks, which are composed of materials such as ZrO2, SiC, magnesium salts, and calcium salts, with a service temperature of up to 1600°C. They are excellent insulation materials, referred to as "thermal materials," and are used in applications such as insulating the outer shell of space shuttles and forced sweating of warheads.