Preparation of alumina fibre mats by a sol–gel spinning technique

High alumina fibre mats (with 2 and 4 wt% silica) having a web-like structure have been fabricated directly during synthesis by a sol–gel technique. Points of fusion in gel fibre mats helped in the formation of a web-like fibrous body having reasonable strength and very little dust formation after calcination. Incorporation of silica as an additive, extended the stability range of the metastable transition phases of alumina, thereby increasing the strength of the alumina fibres and of the mats in general. Strong and resilient fibrous preforms could be obtained by a single step sol–gel method followed by thermal treatment.