Synthesis of the cyclo-tetrasilicates

• Main Author: Ng, Jing Jie.
• Other Authors: Timothy John White
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2009
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Materials::Ceramic materials
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/15601
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This report presents a study of the synthesis with structural and chemical analysis of benitoite (BaTiSi3O9). The synthesizing process used in this report is a solid-state chemical method, without application of pressure, through different heating profiles as well as different initial composition of reactants was examined. Structural analysis was performed by collecting powder X-ray diffraction patterns, before using Topas 4.1 analysis to identify the various compounds formed through this solid-state chemical method. Different heating profiles and different composition of the initial reactants produced the same range of compounds in the samples, only with the weight proportions varying. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis (EDS) showed the different structural forms present in the sample after the solid-state chemical synthesis. The synthesis of single phase was not successful under a wide range of conductions, and this report examines the reasons for this failure to crystallize.