Improvement of Phase Transformation and Densification of SiO2-ZrO2 Ceramics by Using Desert Sand as a SiO2 Source

Desert sand was introduced to improve the transformation of zircon (ZrSiO4) and densification of SiO2-ZrO2 ceramics. The effect of desert-sand addition on the phase transformation, densification, microstructure, and properties were investigated using X-ray diffractometer (XRD), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). scanning electronic microscope with an energy disperse spectroscope (SEM/EDS), and mechanical and thermal expansion test machines. Results show that use of desert sand made the transformation temperature decrease to 1100 °C for samples with 10.0–61.5 wt