Cordierite composed of an alumina-silica-magnesia compound has a low coefficient of thermal expansion(CTE) and excellent thermal shock resistance. It also has a low dielectric constant and high electrical insulation. However, due to low mechanical strength, it is limited for use in a ceramic heater. In this study, ZrO2 is added to an 80 wt% cordierite-20 wt% mullite composition, and the effect of ZrO2 addition on the mechanical strength and thermal shock resistance is investigated. With an increasing addition of ZrO2, cordierite-mullite formed ZrO2, ZrSiO4 and spinel phases. With sintering conducted at 1400 °C with the addition of 5 wt% ZrO2 to 80 wt% cordierite-20 wt% mullite, the most dense microstructure forms along with an excellent mechanical strength with a 3-point flexural strength of 238MPa. When this composition is quenched in water at ΔT = 400℃ , the 3-point flexural strength is maintained. Moreover, when this composition is cooled from 800℃ to air, the 3-point flexural strength is maintained even after 100 cycles. In addition, the CTE is measured as 3.00 × 10−6·K−1 at 1000℃ . Therefore, 80 wt% cordierite-20 wt% mullite with 5 wt% ZrO2 is considered to be appropriate as material for a ceramic heater.

A low thermal expansion ceramic, cordierite (2MgO·2Al2O3·5SiO2), was synthesized using pyrophyllite. Pyrophyllite usually consists of SiO2 and Al2O3, which are the main components of cordierite. MgCO3 and Al(OH)3 were added in various amounts to pyrophyllite and fired for synthesis and sintering. α-cordierite crystallized from 1000 oC with mixing of 20 wt% MgCO3 and 1.7 wt% Al(OH)3, and un-reacted cristobalite was also detected with the cordierite. As the temperature was increased to 1400 oC, the cordierite yield was gradually increased. Powder compacts of the synthesized cordierite were sintered between 1250 oC ~ 1400 oC; the sintered samples showed a low thermal expansion coefficient of 2.1 × 10−6/ oC and typical sintering behavior. It is anticipated that it will be possible to synthesize cordierite ceramics on a mass production scale using the mineral pyrophyllite.

The Mg-enriched magnesium aluminum silicate (MAS) glass is known for its higher mechanical strength and chemical resistance. Among such glasses, cordierite (Mg2Al4Si5O18) is well known to have a low thermal expansion and low melting point. Polycrystalline engineering ceramics such as alumina can be strengthened by a surface modification with low thermal expansion materials. The present study involves the synthesis of cordierite by a sol-gel process and investigates the effect of glass penetration on the surface of alumina. The cordierite powders were prepared from Al(OC3H7)3, Mg(OC2H5)2 and tetraethyl orthosilicate by hydrolysis and condensation reaction. The cordierite powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD, Rigaku), scanning electron microscope (SEM, JEOL: JSM-5610), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS, JEOL: JSM-5610), and universal testing machine (UTM, INSTRON). The X-ray diffraction patterns showed that the synthesized particles were μ-cordierite calcined at 1100˚C for 1 h. The shape of synthesized cordierite was changed from μ-cordierite to α-cordierite with increasing calcination temperature. Synthesized cordierite was used for surface modification of alumina. Cordierite powders penetrated deeply into the alumina sample along grain boundaries with increasing temperature. The results of surface modification tests showed that the strength of the prepared alumina sample increased after surface modification. The strength of a surface modified with synthesized cordierite increased the most, to about 134.6MPa.

The rheological behavior of a cordierite honeycomb extrusion paste was investigated by measuring torque values in a Brabender plastograph. The extrusion pastes were formulated using binder (methy cellulose, MC), solvent (water), plasticizer (ploy ethylene glycol, PEG) and lubricants (oleic acid, OA). The mixing sequence and optimum organic binder, at least for homogeneous mixed state, can be determined from the rheological point of view. 3%MC-30%-1.5%PEG-1.0%OA with respect to the cordierite powder was chosen as a binder composition for the extrusion process of cordierite powder.

Experimental samples were produced with mullite and cordierite powders with SiC. Effects of temperature, atmosphere and additive on the composite properties were investigated by XRD, STA and PSA methods. Results show that samples containing calcinate cordierite and calcinate mullite with SiC baked in air atmosphere have not suitable properties at the temperature range of due to SiC intensive oxidation, while argon atmosphere decrease SiC oxidation. Using as the additive, cordierite phase formation and prevention from SiC oxidation at low temperatures were achieved, leading to the improvement of physical and mechanical properties

In this study, we attempt to synthesize the cordierite from the reaction of fly-ash, alumina, silicon dioxide, and magnesia powders. For the purpose of air purification, the honeycomb filter with porous cordierite was fabricated from the combination of synthetic cordierite and pore forming agent. Fabricated porous cordierite honeycomb was prepared with high porosity (58%), and good compressive strength (69MPa).

소결 촉진제 첨가없이 치밀한 코디어라이트 세라믹스를 얻기 위해 Mg-Al-Si계의 열적거동을 검토하였다. 수용액 매체에서 코디어라이트 현탁액의 분산안정성을 ESA를 이용하여 조사하였으며, 코디어라이트 졸의 응집 방지와 분산성을 부여하기 위해 2N HNO3와 2N NH4OH 용액으로 pH 1.03과 pH 8.30로 조절하였다. pH 8.30인 코디어라이트 졸을 150˚C에서 12시간 건조한 시료에서 magnesium-aluminum-silicate 복합 겔이 존재하였다. 평형상태의 코디어라이트 겔의 결정화는 1300˚C 이상의 소결 온도에서 존재하였으며, 1300˚C 이하의 조건에서는 μ-cordierite(Mg2Al4Si5O18), spine(MgAl2O4) 및 mullite(Al6Si2O13)와 같은 다양한 준안정상이 복합적으로 혼재하였다. pH 1.03과 pH 8.30로 조절된 현탁액에서 코디어라이트 겔의 핵반응은 유사하게 일어났으나, 치말화거동은 졸의 pH에 상당한 차이를 보였다. pH 1.03인 졸 보다 pH 8.30인 졸의 치밀화가 더욱 진전되었다.

알콕사이드를 원료로 하고 용매로는 에탄올과 증류수를 사용하여 cordierite 분말을 제조하였다. 촉매로는 HCl을 사용하였다. 촉매의 양은 HCl/TEOS 몰비를 0.1, 0.3, 0.5mol/mol비로 각각 반응시켜 촉매의 양에 따른 합성된 분말의 특성을 조사하였다. 0.1 mol/mol비로 제조된 분말의 α-cordierite의 결정화 온도가 1050˚C인 반면 0.3 및 0.5mol/mol비로 제조된 분말의 α-cordierite 결정화 온도는 950˚C였다. 또한 0.1mol/mol비로 제조된 분말의 경우에서는 MgAl2O4상이 1300˚C까지 존재하였다. 그러나 0.3 및 0.5mol/mol비로 제조된 분말의 경우에서는 1300˚C에서 α-cordierite상만이 존재하였다.

Spotted cordierite occurs as the result of intrusion of Wolaksan Granite of Cretaceous age in the northern part of the Ogcheon Metamorphic Belt, forming a contact metamorphic zoning in accordance with the distance from the granite body: a cordierite-muscovite-biotite-quartz assemblage and the higher-temperature cordierite-biotite-quartz-(cummingtonite). These quartz-ubiquitous mineral assemblages identified in the cordierite spot seem to reflect Al-deficient condition of the protolith. TEM observations of textural relations between the cordierite and mica within the cordierite spot clearly reflect that cordierite was formed at the expense of micaceous matrix. A structure refinement of the poikiloblastic cordierite was performed by the Rietveld refinement method. Unit cell of the cordierite was determined to be as follows : lower-temperature type: a=17.1480(9)a, b=9.7743(6)a, c=9.3184(5)a, V=1561.9(4)a3, higher-temperature type: a=17.136(2)a, b=9.751(1)a, c=9.322(1)a, V=1557.7(4)a3. They show a remarkable difference in the unit cell dimension. The refinement results indicate that structural sites of lower-temperature cordierite are wholly occupied by appropriating ions. Compared to this, tetrahedral sites of the higher-temperature type exhibit an order/disorder ranging about 5-8% as the result of substitution between Si4+ and Al3+, except for T26 site occupied wholly by Al3+. These structural differences seem to be related to the formation temperatures of both cordierite types.