Abstract
The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of ZrO2 on the crystallization and properties of leucite phase from K2O -Al2O3- SiO2 glass-forming melts. A starting glass composition of weight %; 60.7-63.2% SiO2, 16.6% Al2O3, 11.6% K2O, 5.10% Na2O, 2.5-5.0% ZrO2, 0.5% TiO2 and 0.5% LiO2 was melted in an electric furnace, followed by quenched in cool water to produce glass frit. Malaysian silica sand from Terengganu was used as the SiO2 source. The glass powders were ball milled and compressed to form 13mm diameter discs using cool isostatic pressing. The discs were sintered at 650°C, 700°C, 750°C, 800°C and 850°C for 1 hour and characterised using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM). The results indicate that the amount of ZrO2 additive is one of the key factors controlling of leucite crystallization. The properties of sintered disc specimens were studied using three point bending, diametral and Vickers microhardness test. The results showed that the mechanical properties of leucite glass-ceramics increased as the amount of ZrO2 was increased.
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