Effect of SiC content on viscosity and thermal properties of foam ceramic prepared from molybdenum tailings

A foam ceramic was prepared using molybdenum tailings (97–99.5 wt%) as the raw material and SiC as the foaming agent. The results showed that with increasing SiC content, the liquid-phase viscosity decreased, which in turn enhanced the overall expansion of the system, leading to a decrease in the thermal conductivity. The effects of the SiC content on the bulk density, porosity, pore size, and thermal conductivity were investigated in detail. Moreover, the experimental results were compared with several analytical models, and we found that the parallel model closely agreed with the predictions. The sample prepared via sintering at 1150 °C using 2.5 wt% SiC and molybdenum tailings exhibited a low bulk density of 0.37 g/cm3, high porosity of 85.14%, and low thermal conductivity of 0.22W/m·K. Thus, the application of molybdenum tailings in the production of foamed materials is considered to have potential economic and environmental advantages.