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This research aims to prepare TiO2/Ni macroporous composite foams via Pickering Emulsion route. By selective adsorption of surfactants, the TiO2 particles with a partially hydrophobic surface could reside at the air-water interface, preventing coalescence and disproportionation to occur between neighboring bubbles. Subsequent addition of Ni particles with a hydrophilic surface into the TiO2 suspension would favor the Ni particles to stay in the water phase so that macroporous composite foams was obtained after balling mixing followed then by drying and sintering. Different surfactants were selected for the surface modification of the TiO2 particles in water. Contact-angle measurement revealed that cationic surfactants successfully increase contact angle to more than 50°. Benzethonium chloride (BZT) in particular showed a pronounced increase in the contact angle above 90°. By tailoring the BZT concentration, contact angle of the TiO2 particles could be fine tuned. The BZT adsorption on the TiO2 surface followed the Langmuir adsorption. The BZT concentration was then varied to produce TiO2 porous foams and their microstructure characterized by SEM. When the BZT concentration was more than 0.25 cmc, agglomeration of the TiO2 particles randomly dispersed in the foam structure became apparent. Porosity and pore-size distribution of the composite foams were characterized by mercury intrusion porosimetry. The average pore size of the foams was all above 1 µm, porosity all above 90%, especially for those prepared by using BZT concentration of 0.25 and 0.5 cmc. Their lower average pore diameter revealed that the foams were stable during the foaming stage. Finally, Ni particles were added into the TiO2 suspension together with addition of agar as the fast-setting agent to consolidate emulsions. By tailoring TiO2/Ni ratio, microstructure of the composite foams was examined. The suspensions with a higher solids content were found to result in a foam with a thicker cell wall. From the mercury porosimetry, the composite foams with a porosity ranging from 62 to 82 %, an average pore size all above 1 µm were obtained. EPMA was also used to characterize elemental distribution across the cell wall, together with measurement of electrical conductivity and bending strength of the porous composites.
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