Mullite

Abstract

Mullite is the only stable intermediate phase in the alumina-silica system at atmospheric pressure. Although this solid solution phase is commonly found in human-made ceramics, only rarely does it occur as a natural mineral. Yet mullite is a major component of aluminosilicate ceramics and has been found in refractories and pottery dating back millennia. As the understanding of mullite matures, new uses are being found for this ancient material in the areas of electronics and optics, as well as in high temperature structural products. Many of its high temperature properties are superior to those of most other metal oxide compounds, including alumina. The chemical formula for mullite is deceptively simple: 3Al2O3·2SiO2. However, the phase stability, crystallography, and stoichiometry of this material remain controversial. for this reason, research and development of mullite is presented in an historical perspective that may prove useful to engineers and scientists who encounter this material under nonequilibrium conditions in their work. Emphasis is placed on reviewing studies where the primary goal was to create single-phase mullite monoliths with near theoretical density. © 2008 Springer-Verlag US.