I am working with some ground up ceramic with a particle size range under 100 microns with a peak at approximately 50 microns.  I am attempting to use this powder to make a ceramic coating.  Is it possible to make a suspended slurry with this particle size distribution?  If so, what additives tend to help with suspension?

Thanks for your help,

Daschneida

A ceramic slurry is normally just a mixture of ceramic particles, an anionic dispersing agent, binder and solvent.
Look at the Ciba site for one of thousands of anionic agents. The binder could be as simple as Sodium Silicate. In most cases the solvent is water. There are other additives like antifoams, flocculating agents, and antibacterial additives. I don't about your particle size distribution, but my mother made ceramic slurry's from a lot native clays with very little separation.

http://www.ciba.com/index/ind-index/ind-paints_and_coatings/ind-pai_coa-tec-new/ind-paints_and_coatings_technologies_polymer/ind-paints_and_coatings_technologies_polymer_anionic-dispersion.htm

Check out the RR site on whats they offer. It might pay to give them a call.

http://www.ransom-randolph.com/ceramicshell/______deluxcote_concentrate.html

There are a lot books on Ceramics that have sections on making slurry's or slips. If I recall correctly my mother got here additives from a ceramic supply house.
 

What do you mean by "ground up ceramic"?  What is the composition of the powder?  What characteristics do you need for your coating?   

I believe with that size particle you will only be able to maintain a slurry with mechanical mixing.  Dispersants keep particles from clumping but at the limit, setling time in a stationary suspension depends on the terminal velocity of the particles.  The bigger the rock, the faster it sinks.

I use a commercial ceramic slurry for polishing with particle sizes from 1 to 5 microns and they tend to settle to the bottom of the tank over night.

AEH3:  We're looking at ground up alumina...

sreid:  Thanks for the particle size info.  That was helpful.

Also, that was a good link provided by unclesyd.

daschneida