Abstract
The effect of LiF addition on the sintering of β-spodumene (Li2O⋅Al2O3⋅4SiO2, LAS) powders prepared by a sol-gel process was investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Upon sintering LAS precusor powders pellet samples without LiF addition, obtained the crystalline phase was merely β-spodumene. The intensity of the (102), (211), (222) and (303) refections of the β-spodumene phase decreases with increasing LiF additive content up to 4.0 mass% and some β-spodumene converts to β-eucryplite. The activation energies for grain growth were 26.0 and 23.0 kcal/mol for the calcined LAS precursor powders with 1.0 and 3.0 mass% LiF (sintered at various temperatures for 10 h), respectively. The slopes of the linear dependence of the grain size on the cubic root of time are 0.35 and 0.37 for the LAS precursor powders with 3.0 mass% LiF sintered at 1250 and 1350°C, respectively, showing a diffusion controlled growth.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
