The production of ??-eucryptite [LiAlSiO4] and ??-spodumene [LiAlSi2O6] from topaz [Al2SiO4(F0.64OH0.36)2, containing ~3 wt% quartz impurity] from Torrington, NSW may be of commercial importance since both lithium aluminosilicates have negative or low coefficients of thermal expansion and are used commercially as raw materials in the glass, ceramics, and metallurgical industries. A review of the literature has revealed that the production of ??-eucryptite and ??-spodumene from topaz has not been reported before. The aim of the present work was to determine the kinetics and reaction mechanisms of formation of ??-eucryptite from topaz + lithium carbonate mixtures and ??-spodumene from topaz + lithium carbonate + silica mixtures. To this end, the related reactions and subsolidus phase equilibria of the Li2O-Al2O3-SiO2 ternary system were determined. The subsolidus phase equilibria for the Li2O-Al2O3-SiO2 ternary system were investigated by literature assessment, experimentation, and thermodynamic calculations. The experimentation confirmed the previously published tentative compatibility relations in the Al2O3 and the SiO2 corners. Thermodynamic calculations were used to define the phase relations in the Li2O corner. Thermodynamic calculations also were used to define the phase equilibria for two binary subsystems, Li2SiO3-LiAlO2 and Li4SiO4-LiAlO2. The decomposition of topaz and formation of ??-eucryptite from topaz + lithium carbonate mixtures and ??-spodumene from topaz + lithium carbonate + silica mixtures were investigated experimentally using differential thermal analysis (DTA), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman microspectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Confirmatory thermodynamic calculations also were done. One significant finding of the present work was the formation of nanofibres from topaz + lithium carbonate mixtures at 1150???C. These fibres were formed by gas-phase reaction of SiF4 and AlOF produced from the reaction between topaz, lithium carbonate and by reaction of SiO2 and Li(OH), which was produced by Li2O volatilisation. These fibres, which were difficult to analyse, most likely consisted of metastable ???-spodumene solid solution or mullite in the incipient stage of formation. Formation of single-phase ???-spodumene from topaz + lithium carbonate + silica mixtures was observed after heating above 950???C for 24 h. Reaction paths for the formation of ??-spodumene over the temperature range 450???-1550???C were proposed. The formation of single-phase ??-spodumene was not simple and straightforward but a complex process involving several precursor phases. Specifically, there were two reaction mechanisms involving the formation of single-phase ???-spodumene by gas-solid reaction and gas-liquid-solid reaction. The reaction kinetics and thermodynamics of the formation of single-phase ??-spodumene at 750???-950???C were assessed. Essential work supplementary to that associated with the Li2O-Al2O3-SiO2 system consisted of determination of the decomposition mechanism of topaz, which was determined to take place in four stages. Reaction paths for the decomposition of topaz also were proposed. Another significant finding of the present work was the formation of transient single-crystal mullite from topaz + lithium carbonate + silica mixtures at ~600???C, which may be contrasted with the normal temperature range of 1000???-1400???C for formation from clay-based raw materials. This phenomenon occurred via a gas-solid growth mechanism. The present observation suggests a potential low-temperature route for the production of high-purity mullite fibres without glass contamination.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/257141 |
| Date | January 2006 |
| Creators | Lu, Hong, Materials Science & Engineering, Faculty of Science, UNSW |
| Publisher | Awarded by:University of New South Wales. School of Materials Science and Engineering |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | Copyright Hong Lu, http://unsworks.unsw.edu.au/copyright |
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