Fabrication, heat-treatment and formation mechanism of MgO fiber using propionic acid as ligand

Magnesium oxide (MgO) fibers were prepared by sol-gel method with magnesium propionate as precursor. Pure micrometer-sized MgO fibers were obtained after pretreated in two different atmospheres (water steam and air). The structure diagram of magnesium propionate precursor was achieved by analyses of the precursor fibers. The MgO fibers pretreated in different atmospheres were characterized by the use of XRD, FT-IR, TG-DSC and SEM analytical techniques, and the heat-conducting property of fibers was characterized by thermal conductivity test. The results show that Mg(OH)2 crystalline phase appeared at the temperature range from 300 °C to 400 °C during the heat-treating process in water steam. They also show that the water steam is beneficial for the removal of organics, the crystallization of the fibers and the formation of dense, smooth and crack free fibers, but leads to the increase of the heat-conducting property of MgO fibers.