Manganese induced ZrSiO4 crystallization from ZrO2-SiO2 binary oxide system

The ability of manganese to induce early zircon (ZrSiO4) crystallization is investigated. An assorted range of manganese additions to the ZrO2-SiO2 binary system through a Sol-Gel approach is attempted to achieve ZrSiO4 formation at low temperatures. XRD analysis alongside complementary Rietveld refinement tool has been used to determine the propelling effect of manganese on the low temperature formation of ZrSiO4. The results revealed the ability of 5 wt% manganese to induce the ZrSiO4 formation at 900 degrees C through its occupancy at the ZrO2 lattice. The lattice substitution of Zr4+ by the lower sized Mn2+ and the concomitant lattice distortion of ZrO2 have been determined as the prime reason for manganese to enhance the reaction kinetics with amorphous SiO2 to yield ZrSiO4. Increments in the manganese content beyond 5 wt% are rejected by the ZrO2 lattice, making the excess to crystallize as Mn2O3. The colour change of ZrSiO4 is directly influenced by the manganese content in ZrO2-SiO2 binary system.