# Mineral-Forming Effect of the Joint Participation of Natural Infusible Calcium Silicate and Dust-like Silica in Ceramic Compositions

## TL;DR

This paper studies how using natural calcium silicate and silica in ceramics affects mineral formation and material properties during sintering.

## Contribution

The study introduces new ceramic compositions and identifies optimal sintering conditions for mineral formation using specific raw materials.

## Key findings

- The sintering process characteristics and melt amounts were determined for porcelain masses in different systems.
- Needle-like mullite formation and intermediate compound temperature ranges were identified.
- Optimal firing temperatures and material properties were established for the new ceramic compositions.

## Abstract

Original compositions of electrical ceramics have been developed and tested using marshalite and wollastonite as raw materials. An analysis of the equilibrium states of the created porcelain masses at different temperatures in Na2O-Al2O3-SiO2 and K2O-Al2O3-SiO2 systems was carried out. The amount of melt in these systems was calculated based on equilibrium flux curves. The characteristics of the sintering process of the masses were identified. A scheme for the formation of key secondary needle-like mullite during the thermal treatment of the masses was outlined and the temperature intervals for the formation of intermediate compounds were found. X-ray diffraction patterns and micrographs of the synthesized samples were decoded, and the phase composition and microstructure of the samples were analyzed. The effective influence of silica component dispersion on the mineral formation processes during the sintering of the porcelain masses in model samples of feldspar compositions with quartz sand and marshalite was noted. The optimal firing temperatures for full mineral formation and structure formation have been determined, as well as the physical–mechanical and dielectric properties of the obtained ceramic samples.