The cordierite ceramic with a high strength and a low thermal expansion coefficient was prepared by using mixtures of Ce4+-modified cordierite amorphous powder and oxide powders of MgO, Al2O3 and SiO2 as starting materials. The transformation procedure of the powders was analyzed by XRD method and the surface morphology of ceramics was examined by SEM method. The flexural strength was measured in a mechanical property testing machine using the Three-Point-Bending sample. Experimental results show that the ceramic added with 10%(mass fraction) of Ce4+-modified amorphous powder is composed of α-cordierite and small amount of CeO2 particles, and has a porosity of 15%(volume fraction) and a flexural strength of 32.6 MPa when sintered at 1350 ℃ for 3 h. It is suggested that this low-cost process is suitable for preparing the components such as supports of vehicle exhaust converters and diesel particulate trappers.
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