Microstructural Study and Thermal Behavior of Sodium Silicofluoride

Abstract

Sodium silicofluoride, with the chemical formula of Na2SiF6, is an inorganic synthetic material which recently found lots of applications in various industries such as ceramic, metallurgy and chemical engineering. One of the main important usages of this powder is in the production of opal glass-ceramics, glazes and frits. Despite the expansion of its applications, the properties of this material were not investigated deeply elsewhere. In this research, a commercial sodium silicofluoride powder was studiedand characterized in terms of thermal behavior and microstructure. The thermal analysis was investigated according to thedifferential thermal and thermo gravimetry curves by heating the material up to 900 °C in air. The microstructural analyses were also performed using scanning and transmission electron microscopies to study the grain size and morphology of the particles. The results showed that this commercial sodium silicofluoride material is decomposed in the temperature range of 430-600 °C in air by an accompanied endothermic reaction. The microstructural characterizations were also clarified the granular morphology of the studied SSF powder, existence of the hexagonal shaped prisms and associated pores.