Apr 6 2006
Low-Temperature Formation of alpha alumina powders via metal organic synthesis.
Alumina is an important technical ceramic, extensively used in microelectronics, catalysis, refractories, abrasives and structural applications. In particular, high quality corundum polycrystalline materials are used as electronic substrates and as bearings in watches and in various high precision devices. Therefore continuous efforts are being made to develop new processing routes for high quality alumina based ceramics.
In this study by researchers from Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo and Universidad de Guanajuato, Simón Y. Reyes López, Juan Serrato Rodríguez and Satoshi Sugita Sueyoshi, reported a simple and innovative route to synthesize α-alumina. The process involved reacting aluminum metal with formic acid catalyzed with mercuric chloride. The resultant soluble aluminum formate (Al(O2CH)3) precursor was spray dried. Calcination at 1100°C, resulted in the formation of a pure nanometer-sized α-alumina powder.
The intermediate and final phases were characterized by X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis techniques.
The researchers found that the material synthesized was considered adequate for future forming of ceramic parts via standard pressing techniques or alternatively as a hybrid precursor.
The article is available to view at https://www.azom.com/Details.asp?ArticleID=3352