High thermal behavior of a new glass ceramic developed from silica xerogel/SnO2 composite.

In this investigation, a new glass ceramics have been produced by mixing SnO₂ and amorphous silica xerogel (ASX) extracted from sago waste ash. The composition has been prepared by adding 10 mol% of SnO₂ into SX. The samples have been dry pressed and sintered in the temperature range between 800 °C and 1500 °C. The effects of temperature on the crystallization of silica xerogel after adding SnO₂ and their relationship to bulk density have been studied. The crystallization process of the silica xerogel/SnO₂ composite has been examined by an X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the bulk density has been characterized on the basis of the experimental data obtained using Archimedes' principle. It has been found that an addition of SnO₂ confers an appreciable effect on the grain and from the interpretation of XRD patterns allow one to explain the increase in the density by an increased crystallite size of SnO₂ in the composite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]