Mullite fibers prepared by a sol-gel method using tartaric acid

Long mullite fibers were prepared by a sol-gel method using aluminum nitrate, tartaric acid and tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS). Thermogravimetry-differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer, Xray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to characterize the properties of the gel and ceramic fibers. The fibers with a uniform diameter were obtained by sintering at 1200 ο C, and theirs main phase was