The use of electrospun polystyrene (PS) fibers to create continuous long range ordered multi-scale porous structures in titanium diboride (TiB2) is investigated in this work. The introduction of electrospun PS fibers as a sacrificial filler into a colloidal suspension of TiB2 allows for easy control over the pore size, porosity, and long range ordering of the porous structures of the sintered ceramic. Green bodies were formed by vacuum infiltrating an electrospun-fiber-filled mold with the colloidal TiB2 suspension. The size, volume, distribution, and dispersion of the pores were optimized by carefully selecting the sacrificial polymer, the fiber diameter, the solvent, and the solid content of TiB2. The green bodies were partially sintered at 2000 C in argon to form a multiscale porous structure via the removal of the PS fibers. Aligned continuous cylindrical pores were derived from the PS fibers in a range of ~5 - 20 μm and random porosity was revealed between the ceramic particles with the size of ~0.3 - 1 μm. TiB2 near-net-shaped parts with the multi-scale porosities (~50 to 70%) were successfully cast and sintered. The multi-scale porous structure produced from electrospun fibers was characterized both thermally and mechanically, at room temperature. The conductivity ranged from 12-31 W m^(-1) K^(-1) at room temperature and the compressive strength ranged from 2-30 MPa at room temperature. Analytical thermal and mechanical models were employed to understand and verify he processing-structure-properties relationship. Finally, a method was devised for estimating the effective thermal conductivity of candidate materials for UHTC applications at relevant temperatures using a finite difference model and a controlled sample environment. This low-cost processing technique facilitates the production of thermally and mechanically anisotropic structures into near-net shape parts, for extreme environment applications, such as ultra high temperature insulation and active cooling components. / MS / Society is on the cusp of hypersonic flight which will revolutionize defense, space and transport technologies. Hypersonic flight is associated with conditions like that of atmospheric re-entry, high heat and force or specific locations of a space craft. The realization of hypersonic flight relies on innovative materials to survive the harsh conditions for repeated flight. We have created a new material with tiny holes that can help prevent heat flow from the harsh atmosphere from damaging the hypersonic craft. Thesis tiny holes are made from placing a polymer fiber in an advanced ceramic (which withstand high temperatures) and removing the fiber to leave holes. The tiny hole’s effect on strength and heat flow have been studied, to understand how the tiny holes can be made better. It is difficult to test materials in the harsh atmosphere associated with hypersonic flight, so a program has been written to estimate thermal properties of candidate materials for hypersonic flight.

Cette étude a pour objectif d’élaborer des mousses de géopolymère à macroporosité connectée pour le traitement des effluents liquides radioactifs. La première partie de ce travail a consisté à synthétiser des monolithes de géopolymères par moussage direct en utilisant le peroxyde d’hydrogène (H2O2) comme agent porogène. Celui-ci se décompose en milieu basique pour produire de l’oxygène et ainsi produire la mousse de géopolymère par nucléation/croissance de bulles d’oxygène jusqu’à épuisement du terme source et/ou prise du matériau. Pour stabiliser les bulles de gaz générées, l’ajout d’un tensioactif est nécessaire pour limiter les phénomènes de coalescence. L’influence de la concentration en H2O2, de la nature chimique du tensioactif et de la viscosité de la pâte sur la cinétique de production et sur les propriétés finales de la mousse ainsi produite a été étudiée. Les résultats montrent classiquement qu’une forte concentration initiale de H2O2 produit des mousses de forte porosité, avec des tailles de pores élevées et des propriétés mécaniques moindres. Par contre, le choix de la nature chimique du tensioactif a une très forte influence d’une part de la rhéologie de la pâte de géopolymère et d’autre part sur les propriétés du réseau poreux. En effet, par un choix approprié du tensioactif, il est possible d’obtenir des mousses de géopolymères à macroporosité fermée ou ouverte, avec des distributions en taille de pores plus ou moins étalées et de bonnes propriétés mécaniques. A l’issue de cette première étape, un monolithe de géopolymère à porosité ouverte a été fonctionnalisé par précipitation des particules d’hexacyanoferrate de cuivre connues pour être très sélectives vis-à-vis du césium. Les essais ont été réalisés en mode batch dans différents milieux (eau pure, eau douce et eau douce chargée de cations compétiteurs de charge en concentration importante). Les cinétiques et les isothermes d’adsorption du césium ont été déterminées sur une large gamme de concentration en césium (de l’état de trace jusqu’à 1000 ppm) et la mousse de géopolymère fonctionnalisée a montré des performances remarquables pour le piégeage sélectif du césium par rapport à une mousse non fonctionnalisée. En effet, les essais en milieu radioactif (trace de césium dans l’eau douce) ont montré que la valeur du coefficient de distribution (Kd) pour la mousse fonctionnalisée est de l’ordre 5.5 105 ml.g-1. / This study aims to develop geopolymer foams with connected macroporosity for the treatment of radioactive liquid wastes. The first part of this work was to synthesize geopolymer monoliths by direct foaming using hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as blowing agent. It decomposes in a basic medium to produce oxygen and thus produces the geopolymer foam by nucleation and growth of oxygen bubbles until exhaustion of the source term and/or setting of the material. To stabilize the generated gas bubbles, the addition of a surfactant is necessary to limit coalescence phenomena. The influence of the H2O2 concentration, the chemical nature of the surfactant and the viscosity of the paste on the kinetics of production and on the final properties of the foam thus produced, was studied. The results conventionally show that a high initial concentration of H2O2 produces high porous foams, with high pore sizes and less mechanical properties. On the other hand, the choice of the chemical nature of the surfactant has a very strong influence on the one hand on the rheology of the geopolymer paste and on the other hand on the properties of the porous network. Indeed, by an appropriate choice of the surfactant, it is possible to obtain geopolymer foams with closed or open macroporosity, with pore size distributions more or less spread and with good mechanical properties. At the end of this first step, a well-connected geopolymer monolith was functionalized by precipitation of copper hexacyanoferrate particles known to be very selective with respect to cesium. The tests were performed in batch mode in different media (pure water, fresh water and fresh water loaded with competitor cations in high concentration). The kinetic and adsorption isotherms of cesium were determined over a wide range of cesium concentration (from trace to 1000 ppm) and the functionalized geopolymer foam showed remarkable performance for selective entrapment of cesium as compared to an unfunctionalized foam. Indeed, the tests in radioactive medium (trace of cesium in fresh water) have shown that the value of the distribution coefficient (Kd) for the functionalized foam is around 5.5 105 ml.g-1.