Preparation of Continuous Alumina Fiber with Nano Grains by the Addition of Iron Sol
Luqun Liu,
Juan Wang,
Yunzhu Ma,
Wensheng Liu,
Shuwei Yao
Affiliations
Luqun Liu
National Key Laboratory of Science and Technology for National Defense on High-strength Structural Materials, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
Juan Wang
National Key Laboratory of Science and Technology for National Defense on High-strength Structural Materials, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
Yunzhu Ma
National Key Laboratory of Science and Technology for National Defense on High-strength Structural Materials, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
Wensheng Liu
National Key Laboratory of Science and Technology for National Defense on High-strength Structural Materials, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
Shuwei Yao
National Key Laboratory of Science and Technology for National Defense on High-strength Structural Materials, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
Continuous alumina fiber exhibits excellent mechanical properties owing to its dense microstructure with fine grains. In this study, alumina fiber was prepared by the sol–gel method using iron sol as a nucleating agent. It was proposed that the α-Al2O3 grain size be adjusted based on the modification of colloidal particle size. The effect of holding temperature and reaction material ratio on the iron colloidal particle size was studied. The microstructure of alumina fiber was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The experiment results indicated that iron colloidal particle size increases with the holding temperature and the NH4HCO3/Fe(NO3)3·9H2O ratio. The alumina fiber with uniform nano α-Al2O3 grains was obtained by calcination at 1400 °C for 5 min. The mean grain size tends to rise with the mean colloidal particle size. Using the iron sol as a nucleating agent, the fiber with a mean grain size of 22.5 nm could be formed. The tensile strength of fibers increased with the decrease of grain size.
