Enhancing the foaming effects and mechanical strength of foam glasses sintered at low temperatures

Effectively promoting the foaming effects and precisely controlling the pore structures remain challenging owing to insufficient understanding of the molecular mechanism. Herein, we first investigate the effects of two foaming promoters, MnO2 and CaCO3, to the pore structures and physical and mechanical properties of the foam glasses, where an optimal amount of 3 wt% MnO2 and 1 wt% CaCO3 are determined, which yield a balanced combination of light weight and high mechanical strength. More importantly, the molecular mechanism of the effects of CaCO3 is elucidated by molecular simulations. In addition, the effects of foaming intensifier ZnO are explored, where the mechanical strength is generally enhanced by adding ZnO. Aiming at a precise control of the pore structures and desirable material behaviors with certain additions, this work should inspire systematic approaches to controlling the foaming effects by bottom-up material design for diversified engineering needs without the conventional trial-and-error approaches.