Effect of TiO2 addition on the sintering densification and mechanical properties of MgAl2O4–CaAl4O7–CaAl12O19 composite

Materials designed in the high-alumina region of Al2O3–MgO–CaO system have been widely used in many technological fields. However, their further applications are limited by the high sintering temperatures necessary to achieve densification due to the poor sintering ability of calcium hexaluminate (CaAl12O19) and spinel (MgAl2O4). Considering this aspect, the present work investigated the effect of TiO2 addition on the sintering densification and mechanical properties of MgAl2O4–CaAl4O7–CaAl12O19 composite by solid state reaction sintering. The results showed that the CA6 grains presented a more equiaxed morphology instead of platelet structure by incorporating Ti4+ into its structure, which greatly improved the densification after heating at 1600 °C. The flexural strength was greatly enhanced with increasing addition of TiO2 due to the significant decrease in porosity and improvement in uniformity of grain size as well as the absence of microcracks in the presence of Al2TiO5. The increased content of TiO2 also played an active role in toughening this composite attributed to the increase in resistance to crack initiation and propagation.