Synthesis of magnesium aluminate spinel—An overview

Abstract Magnesium aluminate spinel (MAS) is a remarkable ceramic material known for its unique combination of beneficial properties. But due to volume expansion associated with spinel formation, and the high cost of production, MAS was not commercially successful till last century. However, environmental friendliness and superior properties have helped MAS to substitute magnesia‐chrome refractories and are commercially acceptable with time. From an industrial perspective, solid‐oxide reaction route or conventional oxide mixing route is the most popular method used for the synthesis of MAS. Although there have been myriad other common routes‐coprecipitation, sol–gel, auto‐ignition, molten technique, and so forth to produce spinel, solid‐oxide reaction route is still the principal route from the industrial point of view owing to its ease of bulk production and low cost of production for refractory applications. This report attempts to accumulate the information on different synthesis techniques used for the synthesis of MAS for easy and ready reckoning.