Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 February 2011
The isothermal sintering behavior of a colloidal gel with awell-characterized pore structure was studied using a newly commissionedin-situ small-angle neutron scattering furnace. The apparatus enablessmall-angle scattering measurements to be performed on monolithic samplesduring heat treatment in an oxidizing, reducing, or neutral environment attemperatures up to 1700°C. In-situ, quantitative measurements of the poresize evolution within a gel possessing a bimodal pore size distribution isdiscussed. Also reported is the in-situ measurement of the gel's surfacearea evolution which is an important microstructural parameter inunderstanding the sintering behavior of highly porous materials.