Emphasis is on common clays, fly ash, bottom ash, and diatomaceous earth as raw materials.
Sol incorporation and gellation, with careful control of pH and rheology, is similarly being evaluated in fabrication, as is phosphate bonding. Combustible additives, such as sawdust, and expansive additives, such as vermiculite, are also being studied as means of decreasing density. These fibers are projected to have important applications for reinforcing ceramic matrix composite materials. The measured kinetic parameters were then used to determine rates of crystallization as a function of temperature and time. Specimens especially grown by MBE methods, tailored to specific experiments, ion beam analysis, and x-ray diffraction and SIMS comprise the methods of study.