Formation of Ca3SiO5 prepared by electric and microwave burning

A new method of sintering Ca(3)SiO(5) by the combination of conventional and microwave heating methods was studied. The influence of transitional metal oxides such as Fe(2)O(3), Cr(2)O(3), MnO(2) and V(2)O(5) used as the additive of microwave absorption on the microwave-promoted burning of Ca(2)SiO(5) was investigated. The experimental results indicate that the new burning technique is capable of promoting the sintering of Ca(3)SiO(5). At 1200-1300 degrees C in an electric furnace, Ca(3)SiO(5) can be obtained only when the sample is heated in a microwave for 110-240 s, and the free lime content is below 40wt%. Based on the experiments, Fe(2)O(3), Cr(2)O(3), MnO(2), and V(2)O(5) can enhance microwave sintering. Amongst them, Cr(2)O(3) is the most effective. The characteristic of the X-ray diffraction peaks of Ca(3)SiO(5) is similar to those of standard Ca(3)SiO(5), but the peaks are wider. (c) 2008 University of Science and Technology Beijing. All rights reserved.