Abstract
The need for energy efficient long-life cathode designs have encouraged the development of new cathode lining refractories for aluminium reduction cells. The present paper gives an overview over refractory materials used in the aluminium industry. The performance of both traditional refractory linings and recently introduced dry barrier powder materials are summarised. Special attention is given to the considerable progress in the understanding of the deterioration og the cathode lining materials during operation, which have been obtained during the last decade in the authors laboratory in collaboration with the Norwegian aluminium industry.