Preparation of elongated mullite self-reinforced porous ceramics

Elongated mullite was synthesized using mullite powder as a raw material and AlF₃·3H₂O as an additive, and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The effects of AlF₃·3H₂O content and reaction temperature on the formation of elongated mullite were investigated, and the relevant growth mechanism was discussed based on the experimental results and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. When the optimal amount of AlF₃·3H₂O (4?wt% in the present work) was used, the length and diameter of elongated mullite increased with increasing the reaction temperature, and elongated mullite of 22.3?µm in average length and 4.6?µm in average diameter was formed after 5?h at 1873?K. Based on the results, elongated mullite self-reinforced porous ceramics were prepared by a combined foam-gelcasting and solid-reaction method, and their mechanical properties were examined. Elongated mullite in-situ formed in the porous samples evidently enhanced their mechanical strength. The flexural strength of the elongated mullite self-reinforced porous sample with 67.0% porosity (prepared using 6?wt% AlF₃·3H₂O) was as high as 13.9?MPa, which was about 26.4% higher than that of a porous sample (11.0?MPa) prepared without AlF₃·3H₂O.