Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 February 2011
Phosphates have a long history of use as binding agents in ceramic systems. In particular the phosphate bonded alumina refractories and dental cements that employ the chemical reaction between a complex alumino-silicate glass and a buffered phosphoric acid to produce binding are among the most well known.
The work described here has been undertaken in an effort to achieve a more complete understanding of the nature of the chemical binding in these materials.
The results of a series of characterization studies on materials from the Al2O3-P2O5-H2O and SiO2-Al2O3-P2O5-H2O systems will be discussed with particular emphasis on the nature of the binding produced in these materials.