Effect of Temperature on the Phase Behaviors of Zircon by Carbothermal Reduction-Nitridation

Phase behaviors of zircon at different temperatures via carbothermal reduction-nitridation were investigated in this study. By using zircon as raw material, with carbon coke as reducing agent, the influence of reaction temperatures (1450, 1500, 1550 and 1600 °C, respectively) on phase behaviors and microstructure of the products was characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The results shows that by carbothermal reduction-nitridation, the main phases in the final products of zircon are m-ZrO2, c-ZrO2, β-SiC, ZrN and β-Si3N4at different temperatures for 4 hours.