Synthesis and characterization of high-pressure and high-temperature sphene (CaTiSiO5)

Sphene (CaTiSiO5), a calcium titanosilicate ceramic has been prepared from a powder mixture of CaCO3, TiO2 and SiO2 using vibro-milling for homogenization and activation of precursors. During the high-pressure and high-temperature synthesis (HPS) process at 4 GPa and 1,200 A degrees C, sphene undergoes into phase transition, from room-temperature phase P2(1) /a to high-temperature phase A2/a. Evidence of that structural phase transition is given in this paper using infrared, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray powder diffraction. Rietveld refinement was employed to get the structural information of the synthesized powder. The most important structural change due to phase transition, the disappearance of the characteristic out-of-center distortion of the Ti atom and moving to the center of octahedra, was confirmed. HPS is an effective method for producing full-dense ceramics without any additives. Reduction of particle size occurred during high-pressure compaction. Microstructure and particle size of both phases were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy.