Small Angle Neutron Scattering Study of a Gehlenite-Based Ceramic Fabricated from Industrial Waste

摘要

This paper presents a small angle neutron scattering (SANS) study of a novel porous gehlenite-based ceramic, synthesised from a homogeneous powder mixture of soda-lime-silicate (SLS) glass, α-alumina, calcite and calcium fluoride via solid-state sintering at 1200°C. The products of sintering at single temperatures from 600 to 1200°C are examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Sintering of the mixture below 1200°C forms two intermediate phases (Na_2CaSi_3O_8 and Ca_4Si_2O_7F_2). Nepheline and α-alumina are minor phases in the gehlenite-based ceramic fabricated through sintering at 1200°C. The microstructure of the gehlenite-based ceramic is investigated using field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and SANS at the Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering. This study also evaluated the specific surface area of the gehlenite-based ceramic (～3.0 m~2 cm~(-3)) from quantitative analysis of SANS data.