Glasses and glass-ceramics of the system CaO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2 obtained from natural sedimentary raw materials

Abstract

Common and low-cost natural sedimentary raw materials such as ball clay, dolomite, quartz sand and diatomite were used as the main constituents for the production of glasses and glass-ceramics of the system CaO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2. The crystallization of the glassy batch was promoted by the addition of a nucleation agent (TiO2). The crystallization sequence was examined by DTA, XRD, SEM, and thermal expansion analyses. Wollastonite and diopside are the main phases detected and the amount and grain size/shape of crystals were found to be strongly dependent on titania additions and on the annealing conditions. The characterization of relevant functional parameters of glass and glass-ceramic samples revealed interesting results.