Influence of CeO<sub>2</sub> Nanopowder on Crystallization Behavior and Sintering Performance of Fused Quartz Ceramic Materials

Abstract

Fused quartz granule was used as raw material, and CeO2 nanopowder was used as additive with dosages of 1wt %, 2 wt % and 3 wt %. Fused quartz ceramic materials were fabricated in reduction atmosphere at 1300 °C, 1350 °C and 1400 °C for 1 h, respectively. The properties of samples including apparent porosity, bending strength and thermal expansion ratio were measured. The results show that the sample with 1 wt % CeO2 nanopowder has the lowest apparent porosity, the highest bending strength and the lowest thermal expansion ratio. The XRD and SEM results show that through the CeO2 nanopowder adding, the diffraction peak intensity of quartz phase in the fused quartz ceramics decrease, and the microstructure of the samples become more compact. It can be deduced that CeO2 nanopowder plays the excellent role as the crystallization inhibitor and sintering assistant to fused quartz materials sintered at various temperatures.