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Formation of mullite and mullite-corundum composites from kaolin using spark plasma sintering

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Abstract

Mullite, an excellent and versatile material, was synthesized, alone and in a composite with alumina, from natural kaolin—a primary product of a kaolin clay quarry. Kaolin powder for the mullitization process was inserted into a spark plasma sintering (SPS) apparatus in the form of raw kaolin, and in another experiment in the form of calcinated kaolin freed from bound water. Thermal properties, microstructure and phase composition were studied on the obtained samples. It was found out that the effect of calcination was in dehydration of kaolinite and amorphization of its phase composition. Thermal properties of the dehydrated and as-received kaolinite-based material were very similar. Materials with a perfect thermal insulation character were received. Dehydrated and as-received powders were mixed with alumina powder (corrundum phase) and fired by SPS. Mechanical properties–Vickers microhardness as well as parameters based on instrumented indentation were enhanced in the composite because of alumina content.

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Funding

Petr Haušild acknowledges partial financial support by ERDF under project no. CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/17_048/0007373 “Damage Prediction of Structural Materials”.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Plasma Physics, Za Slovankou 3, 182 00, Prague, Czech Republic

    Pavel Ctibor, Barbara Nevrlá & Martin Dudr

  2. Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering, Czech Technical University, Trojanova 13, 120 00, Prague, Czech Republic

    Petr Haušild

  3. Centre of Advanced Innovation Technologies, VSB – Technical University of Ostrava, 17. listopadu 2172/15, 708 00, Ostrava, Poruba, Czech Republic

    Petr Haušild

  4. Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, Prosecká 809/76, 190 00, Prague, Czech Republic

    Veronika Koudelková

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  1. Pavel Ctibor
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  2. Petr Haušild
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Correspondence to Pavel Ctibor.

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Ctibor, P., Haušild, P., Nevrlá, B. et al. Formation of mullite and mullite-corundum composites from kaolin using spark plasma sintering. J Aust Ceram Soc 57, 651–661 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41779-021-00571-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41779-021-00571-8

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