Characteristic of Wollastonite Synthesized from Local Raw Materials

Research Paper (postgraduate) from the year 2014 in the subject Chemistry - Materials Chemistry, , language: English, abstract: In this study, wollastonite (CaSiO3) has been synthesized by solid state reaction method at temperature range of 1050-1300 ¿C from local raw materials e.g. silica sand and limestone with addition of small amount of B2O3 as a mineralizer to activate the reaction process during sintering. The resulting products are investigated employing XRD and SEM techniques. ¿-wollastonite was obtained at 1050 ¿C and transformed to pseudowollastonite (¿-CaSiO3) at 1150 ¿C. Physical and thermal properties have been evaluated. The batch sintered at 1250 ¿C showed the highest value of density of about 1.98 g/cm3 with high shrinkage rate as compared with other batches. The results also revealed that thermal expansion coefficient is more compatible with results obtained from natural wollastonite.