Synthesis of β-SiAlON whiskers from pyrophyllite was investigated and the growth of the whiskers was explained by VLS (vapor-liquid-solid) mechanism. During heating, Fe₂O₃ in pyrophyllite was reduced by carbon derived from resin to Fe which further reacted with C to form an alloy (Fe_xC_y). When the temperature was above the melting point of the alloy (about 1153°C), the alloy would become a liquid droplet under the influence of surface tension. Once the droplet was formed, the gases such as Si(g), SiO(g), Al(g), Al₂O(g) and N₂(g) would dissolve into the droplet. When the liquid droplet became supersaturated with the gases, the whiskers would grow by precipitation of β-SiAlON from the liquid.