Effects of hydrolysis processing on the character of forsterite gel fibers. Part I: preparation, spinnability and molecular structure

A sol-gel process was developed to produce forsterite fibers. Effects of acetic acid, water, and ethanol on the spinnability and the rheological property of the precursor alkoxide solutions were investigated. It was observed that the time of gelation and the length of gel fiber are functions of the respective concentrations of acetic acid, water, and ethanol in a given solution composition. IR study indicated that acetate ligands retained in the dried gel fibers; the concentration of acetate ligands also significantly affected by the content of water and ethanol. It was observed that acetic acid could act as a ligand, a solvent, and an inhibitor for the hydrolysis-condensation reaction. The influences of water, acetic acid, and ethanol on the spinnability and rheology of the spinnable sols, and on the molecular structures of gel fibers have been investigated in the part I of this work. The crystallites and microstructural evolutions of the gel fibers will be reported in part II.