Preparation and properties of ALCON (Al28C6O21N6) ceramics

The synthesis of Al₂₈C₆O₂₁N₆ powder (ALCON), starting from the binary compounds is described. The powder is resistant to oxidation in air up to 760°C. From the prepared powder, fully dense ceramics have successfully been prepared using hot pressing. The as-prepared ceramics had a thermal conductivity of 20 W m^–1 K^–1. Experiments showed that it is also possible to prepare ALCON ceramics by reactive hot-pressing, starting from Al₂O₃, AlN and Al₄C₃. Further optimization is expected to raise the thermal conductivity significantly. The strength, about 300 MPa, is similar to that of AlN. The thermal expansion coefficient of 4.8 × 10^–6K^–1 closely matches that of silicon, making application of ALCON ceramics as heat sinks an interesting possibility.