Disclosed is a method and system for blending a foam modifier with foaming agent on-line, e.g., as may be particularly useful for gypsum or cement slurries. The foam modifier comprises a fatty alcohol that is added to a gypsum or cement slurry that includes foaming agent, such as an alkyl sulfate surfactant. The fatty alcohol can be a C.sub.6-C.sub.16 fatty alcohol in some embodiments. The use of such a foam modifier can be used, for example, to stabilize the foam, reduce waste of foaming agent, improve void size control in the final product, and improve the gypsum board manufacturing process.

Disclosed is a method and system for blending a foam modifier with foaming agent online, e.g., as may be particularly useful for gypsum or cement slurries. The foam modifier comprises a fatty alcohol that is added to a gypsum or cement slurry that includes foaming agent, such as an alkyl sulfate surfactant. The fatty alcohol can be a C.sub.6-C.sub.16 fatty alcohol in some embodiments. The use of such a foam modifier can be used, for example, to stabilize the foam, reduce waste of foaming agent, improve void size control in the final product, and improve the gypsum board manufacturing process.

Disclosed is a method and system for blending a foam modifier with foaming agent online, e.g., as may be particularly useful for gypsum or cement slurries. The foam modifier comprises a fatty alcohol that is added to a gypsum or cement slurry that includes foaming agent, such as an alkyl sulfate surfactant. The fatty alcohol can be a C.sub.6-C.sub.16 fatty alcohol in some embodiments. The use of such a foam modifier can be used, for example, to stabilize the foam, reduce waste of foaming agent, improve void size control in the final product, and improve the gypsum board manufacturing process.

The honeycomb structure body has a dense part at a part in axial direction including a center region of the inflow end face, the dense part having a change ratio of porosity calculated by the following Expression (1) that is 2 to 8%, and has an outside-diameter increasing part, and the honeycomb structure body has a change ratio of average diameter calculated by the following Expression (2) that is 0.2 to 3%,
(1Px/Py)100, Expression (1): in Expression (1), Px denotes the porosity (%) at the center region of the inflow end face, and Py denotes the porosity (%) of a circumferential region of the inflow end face.
(1Dx/Dy)100, Expression (2): in Expression (2), Dx denotes the average diameter (mm) of the inflow end face, and Dy denotes the average diameter (mm) of the outflow end face.

The honeycomb structure body has a dense part at a part in axial direction including a center region of the inflow end face, the dense part having a change ratio of porosity calculated by the following Expression (1) that is 2 to 8%, and has an outside-diameter increasing part, and the honeycomb structure body has a change ratio of average diameter calculated by the following Expression (2) that is 0.2 to 3%,
(1Px/Py)100, Expression (1): in Expression (1), Px denotes the porosity (%) at the center region of the inflow end face, and Py denotes the porosity (%) of a circumferential region of the inflow end face.
(1Dx/Dy)100, Expression (2): in Expression (2), Dx denotes the average diameter (mm) of the inflow end face, and Dy denotes the average diameter (mm) of the outflow end face.

Provided herein are methods for making a freeze-cast material having a internal structure, the methods comprising steps of: determining the internal structure of the material, the internal structure having a plurality of pores, wherein: each of the plurality of pores has directionality; and the step of determining comprises: selecting a temperature gradient and a freezing front velocity to obtain the determined internal structure based on the selected temperature gradient and the selected freezing front velocity; directionally freezing a liquid formulation to form a frozen solid, the step of directionally freezing comprising: controlling the temperature gradient and the freezing front velocity to match the selected temperature gradient and the selected freezing front velocity during directionally freezing; wherein the liquid formulation comprises at least one solvent and at least one dispersed species; and subliming the at least one solvent out of the frozen solid to form the material.

The present invention relates to a light-transmitting ceramic sintered body which contains air voids having pore diameters of 1 m or more but less than 5 m at a density within the range of from 10 voids/mm.sup.3 to 4,000 voids/mm.sup.3 (inclusive), while having a closed porosity of from 0.01% by volume to 1.05% by volume (inclusive). With respect to this light-transmitting ceramic sintered body, a test piece having a thickness of 1.90 mm has an average transmittance of 70% or more in the visible spectrum wavelength range of 500-900 nm, and the test piece having a thickness of 1.90 mm has a sharpness of 60% or more at a comb width of 0.5 mm.

The present invention relates to a light-transmitting ceramic sintered body which contains air voids having pore diameters of 1 m or more but less than 5 m at a density within the range of from 10 voids/mm.sup.3 to 4,000 voids/mm.sup.3 (inclusive), while having a closed porosity of from 0.01% by volume to 1.05% by volume (inclusive). With respect to this light-transmitting ceramic sintered body, a test piece having a thickness of 1.90 mm has an average transmittance of 70% or more in the visible spectrum wavelength range of 500-900 nm, and the test piece having a thickness of 1.90 mm has a sharpness of 60% or more at a comb width of 0.5 mm.

Provided herein are methods for making a freeze-cast material having a internal structure, the methods comprising steps of: determining the internal structure of the material, the internal structure having a plurality of pores, wherein: each of the plurality of pores has directionality; and the step of determining comprises: selecting a temperature gradient and a freezing front velocity to obtain the determined internal structure based on the selected temperature gradient and the selected freezing front velocity; directionally freezing a liquid formulation to form a frozen solid, the step of directionally freezing comprising: controlling the temperature gradient and the freezing front velocity to match the selected temperature gradient and the selected freezing front velocity during directionally freezing; wherein the liquid formulation comprises at least one solvent and at least one dispersed species; and subliming the at least one solvent out of the frozen solid to form the material.

The present invention relates to a honeycomb structured body including a honeycomb fired body in which multiple through-holes are arranged longitudinally in parallel with one another with a partition wall therebetween, wherein the honeycomb fired body is an extrudate containing ceria-zirconia composite oxide particles and alumina particles, and when the pore size of the partition wall of the honeycomb fired body is measured by mercury porosimetry, and the measurement results are shown as a pore size distribution curve with pore size (m) on the horizontal axis and log differential pore volume (ml) on the vertical axis, at least one peak is present in each of the pore size ranges of 0.01 to 0.1 m and 0.1 to 5 m.