Synthesis of in-situ high-content carbon-containing calcium aluminate cement and its effect on the properties of Al2O3-SiC-C castables

Abstract

ABSTRACT The in-situ high-content carbon-containing calcium aluminate cement (HCCAC) with the carbon content of 20.1 wt.% was prepared by the soft chemistry method with citric acid, calcium carbonate, and alumina as raw materials. The cement product was characterized by X-ray diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. In HCCAC, plate-like and fibrous carbon formed by the pyrolysis of organic acids were uniformly embedded between the calcium aluminate grains. Moreover, the carbon floating ratio of HCCAC in water was lower than that of the mechanical mixing powder of calcium aluminate cement (CAC) and carbon black, which indicated that the water dispersion of carbon was improved. Besides, the slag corrosion resistance properties of Al2O3-SiC-C castables bonded with HCCAC and CAC respectively were compared, and the results showed that the corrosion resistance depth of the HCCAC bonded castables was 45% lower than that of the CAC bonded castables. Therefore, HCCCA can be used as a novel binder of carbon-containing refractory castables.