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Hydrolysis of aluminium metal, synthesis of nano alumina and sol-gel processing of monoliths

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

M. Thiruchitrambalam  and
V.R. Palkar
M. Thiruchitrambalam*
Affiliation:
Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai - 400 076, India.
V.R. Palkar
Affiliation:
Dept. of Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science Group, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai - 400 005, India.
*
#thiruchi_m@yahoo.com (M. Thiruchitrambalam) at present he works with the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Mahalingam College of Engineering, Pollachi, Tamil Nadu, India
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Abstract

High purity alumina is usually prepared using various intermediate aluminium compounds such as aluminium nitrate, aluminium alkoxides etc., as precursors. In fact the above mentioned intermediate aluminium compounds themselves are produced from aluminium metal. The present investigation is concerned with examining the feasibility of using aluminium hydroxides prepared by hydrolyzing aluminium metal, for sol gel processing. The study assumes added significance in view of the claims of Alcoa that it is possible to produce high purity aluminium metal in large quantities economically.

During the present investigation sols were prepared by using various hydroxides, ie., bayerite, gibbsite and boehmite. Sol gel transition was observed only in the case of boehmite sol and this was gelated by either forced gelation method to prepare powder or controlled gelation method to prepare monoliths.

Transparent Xerogels (boehmite) could be prepared by controlled gelation method but the presence of a thin layer of bayerite often resulted in translucency. Crack free monoliths could be prepared by heating the xerogels at a low heating rate(< 1 °C/min). It was found that sol gel processed boehmite transformed to alpha alumina at a relatively lower temperature (∼ 1080 °C ) than the as prepared boehmite which transformed at about 1200 °C.

Keywords

aluminaboehmiteceramicsnano materialssol-gel preparationmonoliths
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 848: Symposium FF – Solid-State Chemistry of Inorganic Materials V , 2004 , FF1.9
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2005

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References

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