Fabrication and properties of aluminum silicate fibrous materials with in situ synthesized K2Ti6O13 whiskers

To improve their mechanical and thermal insulation properties, aluminum silicate fibrous materials with in situ synthesized K_2Ti_6O_(13) whiskers were prepared by firing a mixture of short aluminum silicate fibers and gel powders obtained from a sol–gel process. During the preparation process, the fiber surface was coated with K_2Ti_6O_(13) whiskers after the fibers were subjected to a heat treatment carried out at various temperatures. The effects of process parameters on the microstructure, compressive strength, and thermal conductivity were analyzed systematically. The results show that higher treatment temperatures and longer treatment durations promoted the development of K_2Ti_6O_(13) whiskers on the surface of aluminum silicate fibers; in addition, the intersection structure between whiskers modulated the morphology and volume of the multi-aperture structure among fibers, substantially increasing the fibers' compressive strength and reducing their heat conduction and convective heat transfer at high temperatures.

Enhanced slag resistance and mechanical properties of magnesia castables with strontium carbonate addition

Magnesia castables have been widely used in metallurgical industries with the advantages of high refractoriness,non-polluting steel,and resistance to alkaline slag.Magnesia castables were prepared using strontium carbonate(SrCO_(3))as additive to enhance slag resistance and mechanical properties,and the influence of SrCO_(3) on the evolution of phases,microstructure and properties of magnesia castables sintered at different temperatures was clarified.The results show that,with the introduction of SrCO_(3)(lower than 3 wt.%),elastic modulus,mechanical strength,thermal shock resistance and densification of magnesia castables were significantly enhanced owing to the formation of needle-like Ca_(0.9)Sr_(0.1)MgSi_(2)O_(6) phase and liquid phase when sintering at high temperatures,and the introduced SrCO_(3) presented minor effects on the mechanical properties of castables for its highly structural stability below 1100℃.During the slag corrosion process,SrCO_(3) and SiO_(2) in castables reacted with Al^(3+)in molten slag to form SrAl_(2)SiO_(8) phase,resulting in the increased slag viscosity and suppressed continuing penetration.

In situ Formed Fan-Shaped Nanowires in Biomorphic SiO2：A Multidimensional Composite of Hierarchical Porous Material and Organic Pollutant Adsorption Behavior

Fan-shaped SiO2 nanowires modified SiO2@C composites with a bio-inspired hierarchical porous structure and a high accessible surface area were prepared by in situ molten salt template method.The combination of biogenic hierarchical porous structure and one-dimensional nanostructure with similar features was successfully obtained by one-pot heat treatment in the presence of rice husk SiO2 with SiO2 acting as precursor and ZnCl2 acting as molten salt and growth template.A large amount of fan-shaped SiO2 nanowires with numerous tiny branches sprouting from the central nanowires were grown in the inter-porous epidermis and on the surface of rice husk SiO2 for temperatures up to 1200 ℃.The in situ ZnCl2 molten salt template base-growth mechanism is responsible for the initial formation of SiO2/ZnCl2 co-melting nanowires and the subsequent growth of fan-shaped SiO2 nanowires.The as-prepared samples have been successfully employed as organic absorbers with high efficiency in the field of wastewater treatment.

Rheological and mechanical properties of aluminosilicious cementitious materials as refractory castable binders

Metakaolin(MK)is an important refractory raw material,which has been used as a cementitious material.In order to improve the bonding strength of MK,the composite cementitious materials were prepared by MK mixed with hydrat-able alumina(HA)and microsilica(MS),respectively.The silane coupling agent(SCA)was introduced as a modifying agent.The rheological properties of MK-based composite cementitious slurries were investigated.The mechanical properties of corundum castables bonded with the composite cementitious materials and calcium aluminate cement(CAC)were comparatively studied.The results show that SCA improves the rheological properties of MK-based composite cementitious materials.The slurry of MK–MS mixture flows in a plastic manner,while the slurry of MK–HA mixture presents pseudoplastic flow.The addition of SCA reduces the yield stress value of the MK–HA slurry.The bonding strength of castables bonded with MK-based composite cementitious materials is lower than that of CAC bonding castables.The room temperature strength of MK–MS composite bonding castable remains the highest after being treated either at 1100 or 1550°C,and its high temperature modulus of rupture is higher than that of CAC bonding castables with microsilica added.

Preparation of yttrium oxide coating with enhanced thermal shock resistance on refractories used for titanium alloy melting and casting

In order to enhance the service life of refractories for melting and casting of titanium alloy,preparation of yttrium oxide coatings on the refractories surface is an effective solution.The improvement of thermal shock stability of the coating is beneficial to its spalling resistance during the high-temperature service,and the available slurry with good performance is the prerequisite.The effects of the varieties and contents of dispersant(sodium tripolyphosphate,sodium hexametaphosphate,sodium pyrophosphate,citric acid and polycarboxylate ammonium salt)and binder(aluminum dihydrogen phosphate,zirconium acetate and yttria sol)on the stability,rheological and thixotropic properties of yttrium oxide waterbased slurry were investigated,and the effects of slurry composition design on the thermal shock resistance of the coating were focused.The results showed that the introduction of polycarboxylate ammonium salt as dispersant significantly improved the stability of the slurry,and the varieties of the binders had significant effects on the dispersibility of the slurry.When aluminum dihydrogen phosphate and polycarboxylate ammonium salt were used as binder and dispersant,respectively,the slurry had better stability,suitable rheological and thixotropic properties.By using aluminum dihydrogen phosphate as binder,the coating had good thermal shock resistance and no obvious cracks were observed for the coating after thermal shock,which was attributed to the yttrium aluminate binding phase generated in the coating.An effective method was provided for preparing yttrium oxide coatings with enhanced thermal shock resistance applied in the process of titanium alloy melting and casting.

Influence of in situ formed spinel in bonding phase on mechanical properties and air permeability of magnesia-chrome porous purging materials

Magnesia-chrome porous purging plugs are crucial functional components to remove inclusions and stabilize the flow field during iron and steel smelting.However,practical applications of magnesia-chrome porous purging materials are stil hampered by the poor scouring resistance to molten steel and unstable air permeability owing to their low mechanical properties and uncontrollable pore structure.Therefore,the particle-packing type magnesiachrome porous purging materials reinforced by in situ formed spinel were prepared using fused magnesia-chrome particles and Al powders as major raw materials.The results show that in situ formed spinel solid solutions in bonding phase led to the decreased median pore size and increased pore surface fractal dimension from the reactions between Al powders and magnesia-chrome particles and along with high-temperature sintering,bonding between magnesia-chrome particles and the resultant mechanical properties of materials were greatly elevated.Besides,the results of air permeability tests and polynomial ftting indicated that the formation of spinel solid solutions was the main contributing factor for controllable air permeability,and pressure drop of porous purging materials was positively correlated with surface fractal dimension of pores.Moreover,the as-prepared porous purging materials added with 6 wt.%Al powders obtained the maximum cold crushing strength(54.2 MPa)and hot modulus of rupture(12.9 MPa)with median pore size of 24.06μm and ftting non-Darcian permeability coefficient of 0.97×10^(-6)m.