| Abstract Scope |
Li2TiO3 pebbles have garnered the attention of the fusion community as a promising tritium breeder material. Given the highly demanding of these pebbles, it is urgent to develop a simple and efficient fabrication method capable of producing small-sized pebbles with good mechanical properties. In this study, an improved wet-process technique was employed to prepare Li2TiO3 ceramic pebbles with desirable microstructure and mechanical properties. The formation mechanism was investigated by preparing a Li2TiO3 slurry using gelatin as a binder, Isobam-104 as a dispersant, and ethanol as the solvent. Droplets of the slurry were then introduced into silicone oil as a cooling medium, with glutaraldehyde added as an enhancer, to produce pebbles with high sphericity by syringe. The as-fabricated pebbles were dried and sintered at high temperatures to remove the additives and densify the pebble. The results show that fabrication parameters significantly affect the pebble size, microstructural uniformity, mechanical strength, and sphericity. Both mechanical stirring and high-energy ball milling were employed to process the slurry. Ball milling provided better microstructural uniformity than mechanical stirring, as it produced a more homogeneous dispersion of the particles. Sintering temperature and dwelling time had a strong influence on the microstructure and mechanical properties. Microstructural analysis revealed a uniform pore distribution and optimal grain size after sintering at 1100 °C for 2 hours. Concentrations of gelatin were found to greatly impact manufacturability, microstructural uniformity, and mechanical strength. Crushing load tests indicated that the mechanical strength was strongly dependent on the gelatin content, with 6 wt% identified as the optimal ratio. |