The ice-templating process has attr

The ice-templating process has attracted an increasing interest over the last few years, in particular in the field of porous ceramics.1 The porosity in these materials is templated by the solvent crystals, which are subsequently removed by sublimation to obtain a green body, which in turn can be densified by conventional sintering methods. The process shares many similarities with the existing ceramic processing routes – such as slip casting or pressing – from the point of view of particles packing in the green body. Nevertheless, some specificities of the process should be investigated with greater attention. In particular,the choice of the solvent, which can be made for pragmatic reasons such as a higher solidification temperature or the absence of specific equipment – e.g., a freeze-dryer – for solvent removal, can also have a great influence over the characteristics of the porous bodies obtained. The solvent plays a key role on the redistribution and packing of particles which occur during the solidification step. Here, we attempt to clarify the influence of the nature of the solvent on the process, based on literature data.In particular, we compare the relative influence of surface tension and the pore size and radius of curvature on the densification of the green bodies.