Cristobalite
Cristobalite (silica, chemical formula SiO2) is the result of the calcination of quartz at a temperature of 1500°C:
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Cristobalite can be characterised by:
- High brightness
- Relatively high Mohs hardness of 6.5
- Relatively low refractive index, making it a transparent filler in various binders
- Easy wetting
- High inertness in various media
- Transparency for UV-radiation (ie. suitable for UV-curing processes).
Note when using cristobalite: depending on the particle size distribution of the product, it can be labelled (STOT RE 2 or STOT RE 1). For more detailed information, visit www.safesilica.eu.
Basic properties
Property | Value | Unit |
Moisture | [%] | |
pH | 9 | [-] |
Hardness (Mohs) | 6.5 | [-] |
Refractive index | 1.48 | [-] |
Colour (D65/ 10°) L* | 98 | [-] |
Density | 2.3 | [kg/ dm3] |
Product overview
Coarse | Fine | ||||||
Product | Grade | D50 | Name | Grade | D50 | D90 | OA |
[µm] | [µm] | [µm] | |||||
Sibelite | M72 | 310 | Sibelite | M002 | 70 | 200 | 21 |
M72T (1) | 300 | M006 | 40 | 100 | 23 | ||
M0010 | 30 | 75 | 23.5 | ||||
M3000 | 17 | 40 | 26 | ||||
M3500 | 10 | 30 | 26 | ||||
M4000 | 6 | 12 | 27 | ||||
M6000 | 4 | 8 | 28 |
(1): Tamisé: > 500 µm = < 1%
Production locations Sibelite
Application
Cristobalite will provide:
- Abrasion resistance: due to its hardness of 6.5 on Mohs scale, cristobalite will increase the coating’s resistance to wear.
- Clarity: due to its fairly low refractive index, cristobalite becomes transparent when combined with certain binder systems.
- UV-curing compatibility: being transparent for UV radiation, cristobalite does not block the curing mechanism.