Abstract
Bulk samples of lanthanum polyphosphate were synthesized through a hydrothermal hot-pressing (HHP) process. In this process, pressing temperature, pressure and volume of water were varied in order to improve the density and strength of the resulting materials. The strength of the bulk samples was estimated through drilling and ultrasonic treatments. In order to improve the strength of the materials, the use of microwave irradiation was examined. Lanthanum polyphosphate formed porous bulk samples with a filling factor of approximately 70%, which was calculated from real and theoretical densities. With respect to machinable strength, a drilled hole greater than 7.0 mm in diameter was obtained on some bulk samples, and the diameter of the samples was 14 mm. The HHP process is a useful method for obtaining bulk samples of lanthanum polyphosphate. Bulk lanthanum polyphosphate containing water crumbled easily to a powder form upon ultrasonication. However, these bulk samples retained their shape upon ultrasonication, despite containing water, after exposure to microwave irradiation, and also experienced minimal weight loss. Furthermore, to study the effect of microwave heating, bulk lanthanum orthophosphate, yttrium orthophosphate and polyphosphate were also examined.
