Data for: Preparation and characterization of mullite whisker reinforced ceramics made from coal fly ash

Although many researches were conducted on mullite phase, researches on the whisker-shaped mullite phase were limited. Moreover, few studies were reported on the improvement in mechanical properties of the ceramics based on the coal fly ash with aluminum fluoride addition.

In the present study, the mullite whisker reinforced ceramics were successfully prepared using the solid waste coal fly ash as the main starting material by reaction sintering process. The effects of pretreatment (pickling) of the raw material, sintering temperature, and aluminum fluoride addition on the mechanical properties, phase structure and microstructure were systematically investigated. The pickling process of the coal fly ash was an effective method to enhance the flexural strength of the ceramic samples.