Preparation and characterization of tough cerium hexaaluminate bodies

Publication date: 1 November 2019Source: Materials Letters, Volume 254Author(s): S.M. Naga, H.F. El-Maghraby, M. Awaad, F. Kern, R. Gadow, A.M. HassanAbstractThe present study aims to prepare cerium hexaaluminate (CeAl11O18) via a sol-gel technique and to study the effect of the phase composition and microstructure on its mechanical properties. The samples were hot pressed at 1550 °C under a pressure of 40 MPa for 2 h. The apparent porosity and the relative density of the sintered samples were evaluated as well as their phase composition and microstructure. The results indicated that the only phase present in the densified bodies was the pure CeAl11O18 phase. The microstructure investigations indicated the presence of both cerium hexaaluminate and cerium monoaluminate (CeAlO3) remnants. Both the Vickers hardness and bending strength of the sintered bodies were lower than those of pure alumina; however, the fracture toughness of the sintered bodies was high.
Source: Materials Letters - Category: Materials Science Source Type: research