Study on the reaction process and mechanism of the system of cordierite with zirconia

Abstract In order to study the reaction process and mechanism of the system of cordierite with zirconia, the mixture of cordierite and zirconia was pressed and fired at different temperatures from 1150 to 1460 °C to study the reaction process and mechanism of cordierite with zirconia. The phase compositions and microstructures of the reaction products in this system were analyzed by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive spectrometer (EDS). The results show that the reaction process of the system of cordierite with zirconia is divided into three stages. In the first stage, the reaction mechanism of cordierite with zirconia corresponds to the nuclei and growth models when the temperature is below 1400 °C. The activation energy is 188.71 kJ mol−1. Then, zircon decomposes to zirconia and silicon dioxide because of the existence of MgO, and this SiO2 reacts with spinel to form cordierite at the temperature range from 1400 to 1445 °C, interestingly. Finally, cordierite decomposes completely to form mullite and glass phase at 1460 °C.