Mullite fibres preparation by aqueous sol–gel process and activation energy of mullitization

Mullite fibres were prepared by sol–gel process using aluminum carboxylates (ACs) and silica sol. ACs was synthesized from dissolving aluminum powder in a mixture of formic acid and oxalic acid using aluminum chloride hexahydrate as catalyst. A molar ratio of 1:2:1 for aluminum, formic acid and oxalic acid was optimized to obtain clear solution and viscous ACs sol for fibres synthesis. Thermogravimetry-differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis were used to characterize the properties of the gel and ceramic fibres. The gel fibres completely transformed to mullite at 1200 °C, with a smooth surface and uniform diameter. The activation energy for mullite formation in precursor gel fibres was determined by means of differential thermal analysis. The value obtained, Ea = 741.4 kJ/mol, was lower than most data reported in the literatures, which was attributed to the silica–alumina micro-phase separation when organic acids decomposed during gel fibres heating.