Kinetic mechanisms for mullite formation from sol-gel precursors

Abstract

The reaction kinetics for the formation of mullite (3Al2O3 · 2SiO2) from sol-gel derived precursors were studied using dynamic x-ray diffraction (DXRD) and differential thermal analysis (DTA). The reaction kinetics of diphasic and single phase gels are compared and different reaction mechanisms are found for each gel. Mullite formation in the diphasic gel exhibits an Avrami type, diffusion-controlled growth mechanism with initial mullite formation temperatures of about 1250 °C and an activation energy on the order 103 kJ/mole. On the other hand, mullite formation from the single phase gel is a nucleation-controlled process with an initial formation temperature of 940 °C and a much lower activation energy of about 300 kJ/mole.