J. Pascual et al., Preparation of mullite ceramics from coprecipitated aluminum hydroxide andkaolinite using hexamethylenediamine, J AM CERAM, 83(11), 2000, pp. 2677-2680
Mullite ceramics have been prepared from an aqueous suspension of kaolinite
(raw or ground) and aluminum hydroxide, The precursor was coprecipitated i
n the mixture using hexamethylenediamine (HMDA) or ammonium hydroxide, and
a solution of aluminum chloride from acid dissolution of wastes of aluminum
metal. The precursor and the resulting materials were characterized and st
udied by X-ray diffraction, thermal methods, and mechanical strength and po
rosity measurements. The feasibility of the proposed chemical processing ro
ute for mullite preparation was demonstrated, in particular using HMDA as a
precipitating agent for aluminum hydroxide instead of ammonium hydroxide,
which adversely affects the system reactivity. The use of HMDA, as compared
with ammonium hydroxide, and ground kaolinite produces single-phase mullit
e and enhances the flexural strength (maximum of 49 MPa) of the resultant c
eramic porous bodies (porosity ca. 52-45 vol%) fired at 1550-1600 degreesC
for 30 min.