29Si- and27Al-MAS/NMR study of the thermal transformations of kaolinite

Abstract

AbstractThermal transformations of kaolinite were studied by29Si- and27Al-MAS/NMR and ESR techniques. In metakaolin, Si is still dominantly in theQ3state (three Si atoms bonded to an Si-O4tetrahedron) and Al detectable by NMR is in both 4-coordination and 6-coordination. Coordination polyhedra around Al or Fe replacing Al are much distorted. Metakaolin crystallizes into γ-alumina and mullite exothermically at ∼980°C, this crystallization being preceded by a faint endothermic reaction. The latter is due to segregation of SiO2and Al2O3, which results in an increase of Si in theQ4state and an increase of 6-coordinated Al2O3.