Abstract:
Zirconolite ceramic wasteforms with a stoichiometry of Ca
1-xZr
1+xTi
2-xMg
xO
7 (0≤
x≤0.20) were obtained by solid-state sintering of CaTiO
3, ZrO
2, TiO
2, and MgO at 1 350 ℃. The influences of the solid solubility of Mg
2+ on the phase composition, microstructure, and crystal structure were investigated. The
X-ray diffraction results demonstrate that the Ti site in Ca
1-xZr
1+xTi
2-xMg
xO
7 can accommodate Mg
2+ in a range of
x=0.05-0.15, and the main phase of the sample is determined to be a monoclinic-zirconolite structure (2M, space group: C2/c), as further confirmed by the selected area electron diffraction analysis. For the samples of
x=0.05-0.15, the relative mass fraction of the zirconolite phase is higher than 97%; only a trace amount of the perovskite impurity can be found. When
x increases to 0.20, the concentration of Mg
2+ exceeds the limit of solid solubility of the structure, resulting in a significant increase in the impurity phase. Meanwhile, the dense morphology of the polished surface is observed by the scanning electron microscope, and the measured cation ratio is in good accordance with the designed stoichiometry when
x≤0.15.