Fabrication and characterization of Li4SiO4-Li2TiO3 composite ceramic pebbles using extrusion and spherodization technique

The effect of different amount of Li2TiO3(LT) (0-15 wt%) addition on the properties of composite Li4SiO4 (LS) ceramic pebbles were studied. The Li4SiO4-Li2TiO3 composite powder was prepared in-situ using solid state method at a calcination temperature as low as 800 °C. The composite pebbles were fabricated using a cost-effective and simple technique called extrusion-spherodization. The sintered pebbles were characterized for density, grain size, pore size distribution, crush load and moisture stability. The density of Li4SiO4 composite pebbles was improved for LS-5 wt% LT in comparison to LS pebbles when fired at 1000 °C. Moreover, the LS grain size in the composite pebbles was reduced (5.8 μm) in comparison to LS pebbles. We also found that the average crush load value of the LS-5 wt%LT composite pebbles had been improved by nearly 100% (33 N) to that of the pure LS pebbles (17 N). The LS-5 wt% LT pebbles showed improvement in stability to moisture.