MgO–CaO–Cr2O3 composition as a novel refractory brick: Use of Cr2O3 nanoparticles

At this study the effect of Cr2O3 nanoparticles (up to 3wt.%) on the physical and mechanical properties of MgO–CaO refractory composition with emphasis on the hydration resistance improvement have been investigated. Specimens pressed at 90MPa then were sintered at 1650°C for 5h in an electric furnace. Properties such as bulk density, apparent porosity, cold crushing strength and hydration resistance were examined. The crystalline phases and microstructure characteristics of sintered specimens were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM/EDS), respectively. Results shown that add of the 1.5wt.% Cr2O3 nanoparticles have the best results i.e. increased the bulk density (3.41g/cm3), cold crushing strength (848kg/cm2), hydration resistance (1.5%) and decreased apparent porosity (5.58%), respectively. The mechanism of specimens hydration resistance improvement are: (i) decreasing the amount of free CaO and MgO with converted to high hydration resistance phases such as CaCr2O4 and MgCr2O4 phases, (ii) promotion of the densification as well as (iii) modification of the microstructure. (Author)