Effect of particle size on the pore characterization and strength of porous cordierite-mullite ceramics prepared by a pore-forming in-situ technique

Abstract

The porous cordierite-mullite ceramics were prepared by the pore-forming in-situ technique. The characterizations of porous cordierite-mullite ceramics were determined by an X-ray diffractometer (XRD), a scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and a microscopy measured method, etc., and the effect of particle size on phase composition, pore characterization and strength were investigated. It?s found that particle size affects strongly the formations of cordierite and mullite, and then changes the pore characterization and strength. With the decrease of the particle size, the sintering temperature at which the formations of cordierite and mullite take place extremely fast decreases, the pore size distribution becomes from bi-peak mode to mono-peak mode, the porosity and the median pore size decrease but strength increases. The most opposite mode is the specimen sintered at 1400 ?C from the grinded powder with an average particle size of 10.2 ?m, which consists of cordierite, mullite and minor spinel, and has a high apparent porosity (40 %), a high compressive strength (58.4 MPa), a small median pore size (6.3 ?m) and well-developed necks between particles.