In this work, cristobalite seeds were doped in silica-based ceramic cores, and the effect of particle size on the properties of ceramic cores was investigated. With decreasing particle size of the cristobalite seeds, the content of crystallised cristobalite in the sintered ceramic cores increased gradually due to the elevated surface area; the linear shrinkage, bulk density and leachability exhibited drastic increase after gradual decrease, and the flexural strength displayed an opposite tendency. When the mean particle size of cristobalite seeds is 5 μm, the ceramic cores showed optimal comprehensive properties, including linear shrinkage of 0.35%, apparent porosity of 31.2%, leachability of 0.31 g min−1, creep deformation of 0.12 mm, and flexural strength of 23.5 MPa at home temperature and 26.0 MPa at 1550°C, which well meets the need of ceramic cores for hollow turbine blades. This work may provide new guidance for enhanced properties of silica-based ceramic cores.
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