Low-Temperature Synthesis of β-Ca2SiO4 from Hillebrandite

Experiments on hydrothermal synthesis were conducted using quartz or silicic acid and lime as starting materials at Ca/Si = 2.0. It is possible to synthesize pure hillebrandite (Ca₂(SiO₃)(OH)₂) having the theoretical composition by heating at 200°C for 10 h or at 250°C for 5 h. The synthesized product is fibrous, open at each end, and has a length of 20 to 30 μm. Calcium silicate hydrate gels are produced at the initial stage of the reaction. These react further with the unreacted lime to give hillebrandite. However, when silicic acid is used as silica, hillebrandite with tricalcium silicate hydrate is observed at 250°C because of the high reaction rate of silica. On heating, hillebrandite starts to decompose at about 500°C and produces low-crystalline β-Ca₂SiO₄, which is stable at room temperature and has a remarkably large specific surface area of about 7 m²/g. The decomposition reaction rate in a single crystal is rapid, and the reaction is considered to proceed topotactically.