Induced formation of corundum crystals in supercritical water fluid

Abstract

The formation of fine-crystalline corundum (α-Al2O3) from hydrargillite in supercritical water fluid (SCWF) at 400°C and 26.8 MPa in the presence of corundum particles was studied. It was found that the α-Al2O3 particles added to the reaction medium accelerated the formation of fine-crystalline corundum due to an increase in the rate of nucleation. In this case, both the buildup of added corundum grains, and the generation of new corundum crystals from boehmite were observed. The formation of new crystals depended on distance between the grains of the additive. Depending on this distance, the newly formed crystals consisted of two or three fractions with different average particle sizes. It was concluded that the buildup of the fused corundum particles in SCWF occurred due to the uptake of corundum nuclei formed in a surrounding layer of boehmite. For the added particles of fused corundum with an average size of 2.82 µm, the thickness of a layer from which the buildup occurred was 17.47 µm. The corundum nuclei formed at large distances from the growing particles became the centers of growth for new corundum crystals of the smallest sizes. The role of SCWF consisted in increasing the spatial and structural mobility of the reactants.