Porous silica ceramics with relatively high mechanical strength can be successfully fabricated via a novel tert-butyl alcohol-based gel-casting method. The microstructure similar to stone arch bridges and the sintering neck can be easily observed clue to the evaporation of tert-butyl alcohol (TBA) during the drying process. The porosity of samples with different solid loading sintered at 1150 degrees C varied within the range of 56.4% and 70.1%, as the bulk density from 0.67 to 1.04 g/cm(3). The compressive strength of sintered silica ceramics increased from 4.32 MPa to 8.82 MPa, which was attributed to the 3D-framework structure and the connection of silica particles. By setting the solid loading (15 wt.%) and changing the sintering temperature from 1050 to 1200 C, the porosity of the sintered samples varied within the range of 51% and 72.4%, as the bulk density remarkably varied from 0.59 to 1.18 g/cm(3) and pore sizes from 3.31 to 2.89 nm. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.