Abstract
In recent years, microwave combustion has received special attention because it is a quick, low cost and easy method that produces materials with good chemical homogeneity. Magnesium aluminate (MgAl2O4) is one of the most well-known ceramic materials because of their excellent properties, such as high melting point, high mechanical strength at high temperatures, good resistance to thermal shock, and resistance to acids and bases. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of three parameters on the formation and crystal structure of MgAl2O4: (1) fuel/oxidizer ratio (Rco), (2) calcination temperature (Tcal), and (3) microwave power (Pmic). To carry out the combustion reaction, three different power levels (450, 675 and 900 W) and three fuel/oxidant ratio (0.8:1, 1:1 and 1.2:1) were used. The materials were calcined at three different temperatures (700, 800 and 900 °C) and characterized by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. A factorial design 23 was used to evaluate the influence of the three parameters on the crystallinity and crystallite size of the MgAl2O4 powders obtained. The results show that for MgAl2O4 synthesized with Rco larger than 1:1 and Pmic lower than 675 W small crystallite sizes between 10 and 20 nm were obtained when calcined at 700 and 800 ºC. Regarding the degree of crystallinity, only the Tcal has significant influence.
Keywords:
MgAl2O4; combustion; microwave; factorial design
