ZHANG Ling ¹, HUANG Jingyin ¹, XIAO Zhuohao ², HE Yu¹, LIU Kaige ¹, ZHOU Chaolan ¹, XIANG Bingxi ¹, ZHAI Jianpang ¹, KONG Lingbing ¹

(1. College of New Materials and New Energies, Shenzhen Technology University, Shenzhen 518118, Guangdong, China; 2. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute, Jingdezhen 333403, Jiangxi, China)

Abstract: Mullite whisker has attracted much attention due to its potential application as a reinforcement agent in ceramic composites, thus becoming one of the research hotspots in recent years. However, the development of mullite whisker is still at the lab stage, without the accomplishment for mass production and widespread application. This article focuses on the preparation methods of mullite whiskers, including catalytic reaction, mineral decomposition, liquid-phase reaction, molten salt synthesis and high-energy ball milling, while the possible growth mechanisms will be discussed. It is aimed to provide fundamental references for the mass production of mullite whiskers in the near future for practical applications.

Keywords: mullite whiskers; catalysis; mineral decomposition; sol-gel; co-precipitation; molten salt synthesis; high-energy ball milling; growth mechanism