Firing properties and erosion resistance of hibonite-cordierite sagger

作者：Gan, Cunqiang; Zhang, Han^*; Zhao, Huizhong; Zhang, Yi; He, Huihua

来源：Ceramics International, 2022, 48(20): 30589-30597.

DOI：10.1016/j.ceramint.2022.07.002

• Sagger
• Hibonite
• Firing process
• Erosion resistance

The sagger, an important storage and transportation component in the firing process of Li-ion battery cathode materials, is mainly fabricated using Al2O3-SiO2-MgO (cordierite-mullite/spinel) composites. Unfortunately, these materials are prone to react with the cathode resulting in secondary phases such as eucryptite (beta-LiAlSiO4), which cause volume expansion and consequently damage the sagger. Moreover, this reaction leads to the deli-thiation of the cathode. In this study, hibonite with excellent alkali resistance was used as the main raw material, and cordierite, alpha-Al2O3 and zircon were introduced to investigate the firing performance and erosion resistance mechanism of hibonite-cordierite (CA6-M2A2S5) sagger. The results showed that the sagger exhibited the best overall performance after firing at 1380 C for 3 h with a bulk density of 2.43 g/cm3, and cold and hot moduli of rupture of 21.07 MPa and 11.20 MPa, respectively. The samples exhibited a strength retention rate of 22.5% after five thermal cycles at 1100 C for 30 min. At this firing temperature, a dense protective layer of anorthite was formed along the edges of the hibonite particles. This layer inhibited the reaction between the cathode and sagger, improving the sagger's resistance to erosion.