X-ray micro computed tomography characterization of cellular SiC foams for their applications in chemical engineering

Open-cell SiC foams clearly are promising materials for continuous-flow chemical applications such as heterogeneous catalysis and distillation. X-ray micro computed tomography characterization of cellular beta-SiC foams at a spatial voxel size of 13.6(3) mu m(3) and the interpretation of morphological properties of SiC open-cell foams with implications to their transport properties are presented. Static liquid hold-up in SiC foams was investigated through in-situ draining experiments for the first time using the mu-CT technique providing thorough 3D information about the amount and distribution of liquid hold-up inside the foam. This will enable better modeling and design of structured reactors based on SiC foams in the future. In order to see more practical uses, mu-CT data of cellular foams must be exploited to optimize the design of the morphology of foams for a specific application. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.