Carbon nanofibers–SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> composites: Preparation and characterization

A method has been developed for preparing carbon fibers–SiO₂ composites using oligomethylhydridesiloxane (OMHS) as the precursor for SiO₂. The presence of active hydrogen in OMHS made it possible to attain chemical interaction between the surface of carbon nanofibers (CNFs) and the applied silicon oxide layer. The oxidation rate of CNF–SiO₂ composite is found to be lower by about one order of magnitude compared to that of the as-synthesized CNF. The thermal stability of CNF–SiO₂ composites has been studied. Under an inert atmosphere, CNF–SiO₂ composite has thermal stability up to 1300°C. At temperatures above 1350°C, silicon carbide (SiC) fibers are formed as a result of the carbothermal reduction of silicon oxide.     

Synthesis and thermal studies of heterocyclic siloxanes containing boron

Eight- and six-membered cycloborasiloxanes containing two and one boron atoms respectively are strained ring compounds which undergo ring opening polymerization and ring–ring transformation reactions on thermolysis. Prolonged heating at 200°C results in volatilization of the cyclic boroxine (PhBO)₃, whereas rapid heating of either compound to 1500°C in an inert atmosphere does not result in loss of boron, but affords instead an amorphous residue containing silicon carbide, boron oxide and carbon. Upon further pyrolysis at 1700°C the final product consists of microcrystalline silicon carbide in which are embedded large crystals of boron carbide.     

Polymer Technology of Porous SiC Ceramics Using Milled SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Fibers

The paper describes a developed polymer composition and a process for manufacturing highporous chemically pure silicon carbide ceramics from this composition, using milled industrial wastes of quartz fiber non-woven fabrics as the source of silicon dioxide, which is important as a rational utilization of these wastes. The necessity of pre-milling of the SiO₂ fibers was experimentally substantiated. Without this stage, the duration of treatment at 1400°C under dynamic vacuum considerably (≥12 h) increased, because of the non-uniform distribution of the components in the polymer composite. In the case of stoichiometric ratio of SiO₂ and carbon formed upon pyrolysis of the polymeric phenol binder, the obtained SiC ceramic contained a large amount of unreacted carbon. This indicaties that side reactions take place to give volatile silicon monoxide, which is distilled off from the reactor. The effects of the milling time of SiO₂ fibers and the carbothermal reduction temperature on the elemental and phase composition, density, and porosity of the obtained samples and the ultimate compressive strength were studied. Analysis of the experimental results served for optimization of the composition of the initial polymer composites. As a result, highly porous (83%) and relatively strong (ultimate compressive strength of 8.2MPa) SiC-ceramic samples free from unreacted carbon and silicon dioxide and other stubborn impurities were fabricated at 1400°C (dynamic vacuum, heat treatment for 4 h).     

Production of porous ceramic materials using nanodisperse SiC powder

Porous ceramic materials were produced by hot pressing of a nanocrystalline (19 nm) silicon carbide powder synthesized by a hybrid method that combined the sol–gel processing of a finely divided and chemically reactive SiO₂–C system and the carbothermic synthesis at moderate (1400°C) temperature in a vacuum. It was studied how such characteristics as density, porosity, sizes of crystallites and aggregates of SiC particles, specific surface area, and compressive strength depend on pressing temperature (1400, 1500, 1600, and 1700°C).     

Effect of vinyltriethoxysilane addition on the pyrolytic conversion of tetraethoxysilane based silica gel

The effect of vinyltriethoxysilane (VTES) addition on the pyrolytic conversion of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) based silica gel had been studied. Thermogravimetric analysis coupled with mass spectroscopy was carried out to study the thermal decomposition behavior of precursor gels. The ceramic yield of precursor gels was decreased with the increase of the VTES content. ²⁹Si magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance indicated that the incorporation of VTES into TEOS not only changed the composition and structure of precursor gels, but also increased carbon-enriched SiO _x C_4?x units of silicon oxycarbide ceramics during the pyrolysis conversion. The carbon content of SiOC ceramic was almost unchanged between 1,000 and 1,500 °C. However, the O/Si ratio of the silicon oxycarbide ceramic was reduced and the free carbon content was increased with the increasing molar ratios of VTES/TEOS. Moreover, the carbothermal reduction reaction led to the free carbon content decreased with the increase of the sintering temperature.     

Synthesis of nanocrystalline silicon carbide using the sol-gel technique

Highly disperse silicon carbide is synthesized using a hybrid method comprising the sol-gel step to provide the SiO₂-C starting mixture involving the formation of a transparent gel and carbothermal synthesis under relatively soft conditions, namely, at temperatures of 1200–1500°C under a dynamic vacuum. The elemental and phase compositions of the products and their thermal behavior in air are studied. A relationship is found to exist between the microstructure of the product, on the one hand, and the temperature and time of heat treatment, on the other.     

Study on thermal decomposition processes of polysiloxane polymers—From polymer to nanosized silicon carbide

The objective of this study is to determine experimentally the usefulness of different polysiloxanes as precursors for bulk ceramic products. Such resins are an alternative for currently commercially used polycarbosilanes. Four types of polysiloxanes were used. The polymers differed in C/Si molar ratio. Thermogravimetric measurements of polymers were made to determine curing and heat treatment conditions. Ceramic yield (Y_c) after heat treatment over the temperature range from 20 to 1700 °C was determined. Structure, microstructure and phase composition of ceramic products obtained from the polymers were investigated. It was found that during thermal decomposition of polymers in the temperature range from 20 to 1000 °C amorphous inorganic Si–C–O ceramics were formed. When the temperature exceeded 1500 °C nanosized 3C and 2H types of silicon carbide crystallized from the resin precursors with C/Si molar ratio higher than 1. On the contrary, heat treatment of polymer with C/Si molar ratio close to 1 did not lead to the formation of nanocrystalline silicon carbide.     

Lignin-Silica-Titania Hybrids as Precursors for Si–Ti–C–O Fibers

Lignin-silica-titania and lignin-titania hybrid fibers have been prepared by sol-gel processing from lignin, tetraethoxysilane, and titanium tetrakis(2,4-pentanedionate) using a mixture of 2,4-pentanedione and tetrahydrofuran as solvent and H2SO4 as catalyst. Amounts of H2O and H2SO4, to add to the solutions with the Si-to-Ti atomic ratios of 0–1.0, were determined for achieving favorable spinnability of fibers from the solutions. The FT-IR spectrum of the fibers indicated the formation of hybrid fibers. The hybrid fibers, cured in air to avoid coalescense, could be converted into Si–Ti–C and TiC fibers upon pyrolysis at 1500°C in Ar.     

Structural investigations on pyrolysed polycarbosilanes

The combination of combustion analysis, IR-spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy yields information about the chemical state of carbon in polycarbosilanes or silicon carbide. A stable polycarbosilane can be found where carbon is bonded in a network of silicon, carbon and hydrogen. In the temperature range between 700 and 800°C, the polycarbosilane is transformed into an amorphous silicon carbide with a small excess of carbon. During the crystallisation of the amorphous silicon carbide, which takes place at temperatures above 1100°C, glassy carbon is found by Raman-spectroscopy and combustion analysis. Finally after pyrolysis temperatures above 1500°C only silicon carbide exists; this may be caused by the reaction of free carbon with oxygen impurities in the samples.     

Thermodynamic and experimental study of the interaction of silicon and carbon monoxide: Synthesis of silicon carbide nanofibers

The reaction of crystalline silicon with carbon monoxide to produce silicon carbide was studied. Thermodynamic simulation of the equilibrium phase composition of the nSi-mCO system was carried out in the range 300–2000 K (27–1727°C). Conditions required for silicon carbide was carried out applying various experimental modes (n, m, and T) and possible pathways of the reactions were determined. Interaction between crystalline silicon and carbon monoxide formation in a temperature range of 1000–1450°C. The order of the reaction in CO was found to be close to unity. Silicon carbide nanofibers with thicknesses of from 5 to 100 nm were synthesized and characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, mass-spectral elemental analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. A possibility of synthesizing high-purity silicon carbide fibers were experimentally evaluated.     

ZrB<Subscript>2</Subscript>/HfB<Subscript>2</Subscript>–SiC Ultra-High-Temperature Ceramic Materials Modified by Carbon Components: The Review

The review has been made of recent publications on modification of ZrB₂/HfB₂–SiC ultra-hightemperature ceramic composite materials (UHTC) by carbon components: amorphous carbon, graphite, graphene, fibers, and nanotubes. Available data have been presented on some aspects of oxidation of such materials at temperatures ≥1500°C and both at the atmospheric pressure and at the reduced oxygen partial pressure; structural features of the formed multilayer oxidized regions have been noted. It has been considered how the type and content of the carbon component and the conditions (first of all, temperature) of UHTC production affect the density, flexural strength, hardness, fracture toughness, and thermal and oxidation resistance of the modified ceramic composites.     

How xerogel carbonization conditions affect the reactivity of highly disperse SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>–C composites in the sol–gel synthesis of nanocrystalline silicon carbide

A transparent silicon polymer gel was prepared by sol–gel technology to serve as the base in the preparation of highly disperse SiO₂–C composites at various temperatures (400, 600, 800, and 1000°C) and various exposure times (1, 3, and 6 h) via pyrolysis under a dynamic vacuum (at residual pressures of ~1 × 10^–1 to 1 × 10^–2 mmHg). These composites were X-ray amorphous; their thermal behavior in flowing air in the range 20–1200°C was studied. The encapsulation of nascent carbon, which kept it from oxidizing in air and reduced the reactivity of the system in SiC synthesis, was enhanced as the carbonization temperature and exposure time increased. How xerogel carbonization conditions affect the micro- and mesostructure of the xerogel was studied by ultra-small-angle neutron scattering (USANS). Both the carbonization temperature and the exposure time were found to considerably influence structure formation in highly disperse SiO₂–C composites. Dynamic DSC/DTA/TG experiments in an inert gas flow showed that the increasing xerogel pyrolysis temperatures significantly reduced silicon carbide yields upon subsequent heating of SiO₂–C systems to 1500°C, from 35–39 (400°C) to 10–21% (1000°C).     

Synthesis of Poly(silyne-co-hydridocarbyne) for Silicon Carbide Production

Pre-ceramic polymers have previously been shown to be polymeric precursors to silicon carbide, diamond and diamond-like carbon. Here, we report the synthesis of a pre-ceramic polymer, poly(silyne-co-hydridocarbyne), which was electrochemically synthesized from one monomer containing both silicon and carbon in its structure. The polymer is soluble in common solvents such as CHCl₃, CH₂Cl₂ and THF. Since the polymer contains both silyne and carbyne on its backbone, it can be easily converted to silicon carbide upon heating under an ambient inert atmosphere, or to SiO₂ under ambient air atmosphere. Poly(silyne-co-hydridocarbyne) was characterized with UV/Vis spectroscopy, FTIR, ¹H-NMR, GPC and Raman spectroscopy. Conversion of the polymer to SiC ceramic was accomplished by heating at 1000 and 750°C under an argon atmosphere and characterized with optical microscopy, SEM, X-Ray and Raman spectroscopies.     

Surface characterization on graphitization of nanodiamond powder annealed in nitrogen ambient

A nanodiamond thin film is deposited on a single crystal silicon substrate by dip‐coating technique. Surface characterization of the unannealed nanodiamond sample, and the samples annealed at various temperatures in nitrogen ambient, is conducted by XPS and Raman spectroscopy. The fitting data of the C1s core level XPS peak reveal that the sp²/sp³ ratio in the unannealed sample and the sample annealed at 900 °C and 1500 °C are 0.44, 0.55 and 6.08 respectively. All spectra including the C1s core level XPS spectrum, the plasmon energy‐loss spectrum associated with C1s peak, C KVV Auger spectrum of the sample annealed at 900 °C are similar to those of the unannealed sample. However, the spectra of the sample annealed at 1500 °C are very different. Annealing at 900 °C fails to produce appreciable graphitization, and an onion‐like carbon structure with a small diamond core is formed when the nanodiamond is heated to 1500 °C. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The morphology of ceramic phases in BxC-SiC-Si infiltrated composites

The present communication is concerned with the effect of the carbon source on the morphology of reaction bonded boron carbide (B₄C). Molten silicon reacts strongly and rapidly with free carbon to form large, faceted, regular polygon-shaped SiC particles, usually embedded in residual silicon pools. In the absence of free carbon, the formation of SiC relies on carbon that originates from within the boron carbide particles. Examination of the reaction bonded boron carbide revealed a core-rim microstructure consisting of boron carbide particles surrounded by secondary boron carbide containing some dissolved silicon. This microstructure is generated as the outcome of a dissolution-precipitation process. In the course of the infiltration process molten Si dissolves some boron carbide until its saturation with B and C. Subsequently, precipitation of secondary boron carbide enriched with boron and silicon takes place. In parallel, elongated, strongly twinned, faceted SiC particles are generated by rapid growth along preferred crystallographic directions. This sequence of events is supported by X-ray diffraction and microcompositional analysis and well accounted for by the thermodynamic analysis of the ternary B-C-Si system.     

Kinetics and mechanism of oxidation of silicon nitride bonded silicon carbide ceramic

Thermogravimetry (TG) has been used to study the oxidation of a commercial silicon nitride bonded silicon carbide (SNBSC) ceramic. The oxidation was studied in air and carbon dioxide atmospheres between 800 and 1300°C. TG/mass spectrometry (MS) shows that the silicon nitride bonding phase oxidises first. The kinetics follow a multi-stage mechanism with diffusion control. Carbon dioxide was found to be a more powerful oxidant than air at temperatures above 1050°C.     

An EELS and EXELFS study of amorphous hydrogenated silicon carbide

A series of thin films of amorphous hydrogenated silicon carbide (a-SiCH) produced by RF plasma decomposition of propane and silane has been studied by electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) and extended energy-loss fine structure (EXELFS) studies. The composition of the films has been determined by EELS and the nearest neighbour spacings have been determined by EXELFS. These results, along with the energy of the plasmon loss peaks, have been compared with the deposition conditions for each film. The results show that for a large gas ratio (C₃H₈/(C₃H₈+SiH₄)) the films have a high proportion of carbon and are similar to a-CH in structure, whereas those films prepared with Y = 0.4 or 0.5 have nearest neighbour spacings consistent with those for tetrahedrally bonded carbon. The films prepared with lowest Y have nearest neighbour spacings similar to those for amorphous silicon carbide. The results for a-SiCH have been compared with the results of EELS and EXELFS of CVD diamond films, amorphous carbon and amorphous silicon.     

Carbothermal synthesis of ultra-fine zirconium carbide powders using inorganic precursors via sol–gel method

Ultra-fine zirconium carbide (ZrC) powders have been synthesized by carbothermal reduction reactions using inorganic precursors zirconium oxychloride (ZrOCl₂ · 8H₂O) as sources of zirconium and phenolic resin as the carbon source. The reactions were substantially completed at relatively lower temperatures (∼1400 °C/1 h) and the synthesized powders had a small average crystallite size (<200 nm) and a large specific area (54 m²/g). The oxygen content of the powder synthesized at 1400 °C/1 h was less than 1.0 wt%. The thermodynamic change process in the ZrO₂–C system and the synthesis mechanism were studied.     

Identification of selective oxidation of TiC/SiC composite with X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy

Open cell 3D titanium carbide/silicon carbide (TiC/SiC) composite was oxidised to titanium oxide/silicon carbide (TiO₂/SiC) following different temperature profiles in a thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) instrument in continuous air-flow and static air (oven) environments. The TiC oxidation to anatase, starting at temperatures over 450°C, was confirmed by Raman spectroscopy and X-Ray diffraction (XRD). By increasing the temperature, the mass fraction of anatase diminished, while the mass fraction of rutile increased. SiC oxidation started at 650°C when a mixture of TiO₂/SiO₂/SiC could be observed by Raman, XRD and HRTEM.     

Siliciding of titanium carbides with gaseous SiO

Titanium carbides of different stoichiometries were silicided with gaseous SiO at 1350°C. A mechanical mixture of silicon and silicon dioxide was used as a reaction source of SiO. Ti₃SiC₂, TiSi₂, and Ti₅Si₃ were the main reaction products, the phase composition of which strongly depended on the titanium carbide stoichiometry. The siliciding of carbides with a nearly stoichiometric carbon content resulted in the formation of Ti₃SiC₂, on the surface of which the other silicide phases, such as Ti₅Si₃ and TiSi₂, began to form. For titanium carbides with a low carbon concentration, Ti₅Si₃ was the only siliciding product.