The influence of cobalt acetate on sol-gel derived mullite densification behaviour

Abstract

Monophasic mullite (3Al2O3·2SiO2) samples doped with 0.002 M, 0.02 M, 0.1 M, 0.15 M and 0.2 M of cobalt were prepared by a sol-gel process. Prepared gels were then dried, grinded, pressed into pellets and sintered at 1 000 °C and 1 300 °C for 4 h. Phase formation and densification behavior has been investigated as a function of the cobalt content and sintering temperature. Mullite densification behavior was analyzed. The density of the sintered ceramics was measured using Archimedes method. CoO and Co related compounds were detected by the analysis for G3, G4 and G5 doping levels. The mullite X-ray diffraction suggests predominant incorporation of Co in the glassy phase, whose quantity increased with the doping level.