No abstract

The in situ formation of nanostructured aluminum hydroxides on the surface of alumina particles, which can work as inorganic binder, was reported in this paper. The effect of the suspension pH during milling of alumina powder and subsequent hydrothermal treatment for the hydroxide formation and microstructure was depicted. Under acidic pH condition, the formation of hydroxides was not observed. When the pH of suspension changed from acidic to basic during milling, bayerite [Al(OH) 3 ] nanoparticles were formed, but only a fraction of this hydroxide was converted to boehmite (AlOOH) during subsequent hydrothermal treatment. The aluminum hydroxide and oxyhydroxide formed in this condition improved the smoothness of extruded rods and the strength of presintered segments. For the powder milled under basic pH condition, the mechanochemically formed bayerite was completely converted into boehmite nanoparticles during the hydrothermal treatment. The presence of boehmite nanoparticles contributed to improving plasticity during extrusion, which allowed the reduction of organic binder and increased the strength of presintered alumina rods.

Milling and hydrothermal treatment of alumina powders in aqueous medium can result in surface transformations generating aluminum hydroxides. The aim of this work was to advance the understanding on these transformations. A α-alumina powder was ball milled in water at different pHs for 10 h, and then autoclaved (150 °C, 3 atm, 3 h). The powders were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry simultaneously with thermogravimetry, X-ray diffraction, and infrared spectroscopy. It was observed that milling in basic medium caused the formation of doyleite [Al (OH3)] nanoparticles, which were fully converted to boehmite (AlOOH) by hydrothermal treatment. The boehmite fraction determined by thermal analysis was 1.7 wt%. The powder milled in acid medium had no mechanochemical and hydrothermal transformations.