Effects of Matrix Material Particle Size on Mullite Whisker Growth

Understanding of effects of changes in the particle size of the matrix material on the mullite whisker growth during the production of porous mullite is crucial for better design of new porous ceramics materials in different applications. Commercially, raw materials such as Al₂O₃/SiO₂ and Al(OH)₃/SiO₂ are used as starting materials, while AlF₃ is added to fabricate porous mullite through reaction sintering process. When Al₂O₃ is used as a starting material, a porous microstructure can be identified, but a more developed needle shaped microstructure is identified in the specimen using Al(OH)₃, which has excellent reactivity. The specimen using Al₂O₃/SiO₂ composite powder does not undergo mulliteization even at 1,400 ℃, but the specimen using the Al(OH)₃/SiO₂ composite powder had already formed complete mullite whiskers from the particle size specimen milled for 3 h at 1,100 ℃. As a result, the change in sintering temperature does not significantly affect formation of microstructures. As the particle size of the matrix materials, Al₂O₃ and Al(OH)₃, decreases, the porosity tends to decrease. In the case of the Al(OH)₃/SiO₂ composite powder, the highest porosity obtained is 75 % when the particle size passes through a milling time of 3 h. The smaller the particle size of Al(OH)₃ is and the more the long/short ratio of the mullite whisker phase decreases, the higher the density becomes.