Fabrication of Quasicrystalline Scaffolds From the Al-Cu-Fe System by Dynamic Freeze-Casting

In this study, scaffolds whose main phase is an icosahedral quasicrystal (i-QC) were prepared for the first time by dynamic freeze-casting. Two different metal powders were used here, namely pure aluminum and quasicrystalline particles from the Al-Cu-Fe system. These powers were initially mixed with deionized water, citric acid, and poly(vinyl alcohol). The obtained slurry was frozen while rotating and freeze-dried under vacuum. The green bodies were subsequently heat-treated in a reducing atmosphere. The total porosity and mean pore size evaluated for these scaffolds were 62.4 ± 3.0% and 67.3 ± 2.8 μm, respectively. This is the first time that dynamic freeze-drying has been used in the preparation of QC scaffolds, which reinforces the novelty of this study. In addition, the proposed route is simple, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly, which is also worth highlighting.

Keywords:
Quasicrystals; Al-Cu-Fe system; Dynamic freeze-casting; Scaffolds; Structural characterization