Some studies on ceria-zirconia reinforced solvothermally synthesized cordierite nano-composites

Abstract

Nanostructured cordierite and 12 mol% ceria stabilized zirconia were chemically prepared separately. Pure cordierite was synthesized solvothermally, whereas [(Zr)0.88(Ce)0.12O2] termed as CeSZ was processed with gelation and co-precipitation method. The evolution of crystalline phases and the microstructures have been studied using X-ray diffractometer, and FE-SEM with EDX. Varying contents (0-20 weight%) of CeSZ were then mixed with cordierite to form sample blocks of desired shapes. These nano-composite blocks were fired at 1100-1400 C for a soaking time of 3 h to observe their thermo-mechanical, micro-structural and physical properties. Results indicate that ceria not only acts as a stabilizer in zirconia ceramics but it also acts as a sintering aid in cordierite formation. CeO2 also improves compressibility and structural properties of nano-composites. Sintering temperature also plays an important role in the behavior of nano-composite blocks. All properties show a major improvement than previous reported data's. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.