Structural and Electrical Properties of Iron-Containing Aluminosilicate Gel-Derived Pellets

Aluminosilicate pellets containing 10 mol% of Fe₂O₃, prepared by the sol-gel method, have been investigated. Electrical conductivity, dielectric constant, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance have been used to characterize the evolution of the samples with the heat-treatment temperature and atmospheric conditions. Results show that iron is present in the air heat-treated samples as Fe³⁺, goethite and hematite particles. Metallic iron and magnetite were identified in the samples heat-treated under reducing conditions. The d.c. conductivity decreases with increasing heat-treatment temperature of the samples indicating a variation, with the temperature, of the electrical free charges. However, in the case of the dielectric constant the samples heat-treated in air and under reducing conditions do not present the same behaviour. This variation was related with the microstructural evolution of the samples.