Activation energy for mullitization of gel fibres obtained from aluminum isopropoxide

Abstract

Gel fibres of mullite precursor were prepared from an aqueous solution of aluminum nitrate (AN), aluminum isopropoxide (AIP) and tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS). A 4:1 molar ratio of aluminum isopropoxide and aluminum nitrate was optimized to obtain spinnable precursor sol for synthesis of fibres. Thermogravimetry- differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses were used to characterize properties of the gel and ceramic fibres. The precursor gel completely transformed to mullite at 1200 °C. The activation energy of mullite crystallization was 993·5 kJ/mol by the Kissinger equation. © Indian Academy of Sciences.