Microstructure and thermal expansion behavior of diamond/SiC/(Si) composites fabricated by reactive vapor infiltration

Diamond/SiC/(Si) composites were fabricated by Si vapor vacuum reactive infiltration. The coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of composites have been measured from 50 to 400 °C. With the diamond content increasing, CTE of composite decreased, simultaneously, the microstructure of the composites changed from core–shell particles embedded in the Si matrix to an interpenetrating network with the matrix. The CTEs of composites versus temperature matched well with those of Si. The Kerner model was modified according to the structural features of the composites, which exhibited more accurate predictions due to considering the core–shell structure of the composites. The thermal expansion behavior of the matrix was constrained by diamond/SiC network during heating.     

Microstructure and properties of diamond/SiC composites prepared by tape-casting and chemical vapor infiltration process

This article reported a novel method for preparing diamond/SiC composites by tape-casting and chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) process, and the advantages of this method were discussed. The diamond particle was proved to be thermally stable under CVI conditions and the CVI diamond/SiC composites only contained diamond and CVI-SiC phases. The SEM and TEM results showed a strong interfacial bonding existed between diamond and CVI-SiC matrix. Due to the strong bonding, the surface HRA hardness could reach up to 98.4 (HV 50 ± 5 GPa) and the thermal conductivity (TC) of composites was five times higher than that of pure CVI-SiC matrix. Additionally, the effects of diamond particle size on microstructure and properties of composites were also investigated. With the increasing of particle size, the density and TC of composites with the size 27 μm reached 2.940 g/cm³ and 82 W/(m K), respectively.     

Oxidation resistance of SiC/SiC composites containing SiBC matrix fabricated by liquid silicon infiltration

The mechanical behavior and oxidation resistance of SiC/SiC-SiBC composites were studied in this work. According to the debonding criterion of He and Hutchinson, the debonding could occur at the BN interphase, which insures that the fibers can well play the strengthening and toughening performance. The oxidation resistance of SiC/SiC-SiBC composites consisting of SiC fibers with thermal expansion coefficients (CTE) of 5.1 × 10^?6 K^?1 and 4.0 × 10^?6 K^?1 was compared. The composites consisting of SiC fibers with higher CTE show slight weight changes at 800, 1000, and 1200 °C, and the corresponding strength retention ratios are 109.6%, 103.2% and 102.9%, exhibiting excellent oxidation resistance. The CTE of composites consisting of SiC fibers with higher CTE matches well with the CTE of SiC coating, so rarely no cracks can be formed in the coating, which inhibits the inward diffusion of oxidizing medium and leads to high strength retention ratios after oxidation tests.     

Effect of PyC interphase thickness on mechanical behaviors of SiBC matrix modified C/SiC composites fabricated by reactive melt infiltration

A dense carbon fiber reinforced silicon carbide matrix composites modified by SiBC matrix (C/SiC-SiBC) was prepared by a joint process of chemical vapor infiltration, slurry infiltration and liquid silicon infiltration. The effects of pyrolytic carbon (PyC) interphase thickness on mechanical properties and oxidation behaviors of C/SiC-SiBC composites were evaluated. The results showed that C/SiC-SiBC composites with an optimal PyC interphase thickness of 450 nm exhibited flexural strength of 412 MPa and fracture toughness of 24 MPa m^1/2, which obtained 235% and 300% improvement compared with the one with 50 nm-thick PyC interphase. The enhanced mechanical properties of C/SiC-SiBC composites with the increase of interphase thickness was due to the weakened interfacial bonding strength and the decrease of matrix micro-crack amount associated with the reduction of thermal residual stress. With the decrease in matrix porosity and micro-crack density, C/SiC-SiBC composites with 450 nm-thick interphase exhibited excellent oxidation resistance. The residual flexural strength after oxidized at 800, 1000 and 1200 °C in air for 10 h was 490, 500 and 480 MPa, which increased by 206%, 130% and 108% compared with those of C/SiC composites.     

Ablation behavior of Cf/ZrC-SiC-based composites fabricated by an improved reactive melt infiltration

In this work, a highly dense C_f/ZrC-SiC-based composite is fabricated by an improved reactive melt infiltration (RMI). The ablation resistance of the composite is studied by air plasma test. The RMI-C_f/ZrC-SiC possesses a low porosity (3.49%) and high thermal conductivity. The dense microstructure can effectively retard oxygen from diffusing into the interior composite. Meanwhile, the high thermal conductivity makes the composite transfer heat timely during ablation, which reduces the heat accumulation on the ablation surface and weakens the thermal damage to the composite. Consequently, the as-fabricated composite exhibits an excellent ablation resistance. Compared to conventional PIP-C_f/ZrC-SiC composite, the linear and mass recession rates of the RMI-C_f/ZrC-SiC decline by 98.07% and 39.02% at a heat flux of 4.02 MW/m². Also, a continuous SiO₂-ZrO₂ layer forms on the sample surface, which isolates the sample surface from the plasma flame and protect the composites from further oxidation and ablation.     

Thermal transport characteristics in diamond/SiC composites via molten Si infiltration

Heat dissipation remains a critical challenge in optical and electronic devices and diamond/SiC composite is the premiere material solution because of its outstanding thermal and mechanical properties. Si liquid infiltration is one of the most promising techniques to fabricate fully dense diamond/SiC composites with desired phase structures and exceptional properties. In this study, the thermal conductivity from room temperature to 1000 °C was investigated for the diamond/SiC composites fabricated by a liquid Si infiltration method. The experimental thermal measurement shows a good agreement with the computational solution obtained by solving the Boltzmann transport equation. The results suggest a strong correlation between the composite thermal conductivity and diamond volume percentage. A level-off of the thermal conductivity at high diamond content reflects increased thermal resistance. In addition, the annealing effect on the composite thermal conductivity as well as the thermal stability were evaluated.     

Reaction kinetics and ablation properties of C/C-ZrC composites fabricated by reactive melt infiltration

Carbon/carbon-zirconium carbide (C/C-ZrC) composites were prepared by reactive melt infiltration. Carbon fiber felt was firstly densified by carbon using chemical vapor infiltration to obtain a porous carbon/carbon (C/C) skeleton. The zirconium melt was then infiltrated into the porous C/C at temperatures higher than the melting point of zirconium to obtain C/C-ZrC composites. The infiltration depth as a function of annealing temperature and dwelling time was studied. A model based on these results was built up to describe the kinetic process. The ablation properties of the C/C-ZrC were tested under an oxyacetylene torch and a laser beam. The results indicate that the linear and mass ablation rates of the C/C-ZrC composites are greatly reduced compared with C/SiC-ZrB₂, C/SiC, and C/C composites. The formation of a dense layer of ZrC and ZrO₂ mixture at high temperatures is the reason for high ablation resistance.     

Flexural behaviors and microstructures of SiC/SiC composites fabricated by microwave sintering assisted with heat molding process

To improve densification degree and reduce process time, microwave sintering and heat molding method were combined to prepared SiC matrix reinforced SiC (SiC/SiC) composite via polymer infiltration and pyrolysis process (PIP). The effects of heat molding pressures on the densification process, flexural behaviors and failure modes of the fabricated SiC/SiC were examined via scanning electron microscopy (SEM), computed tomography (CT) technique and mercury intrusion test. Results indicate that heat molding process promoted the densification degrees of SiC/SiC and adjusted the interphase bonding between SiC matrix and SiC fibers on the basis of rapid microwave heating. Owing to the appropriate interphase bonding, SiC/SiC composites fabricated under the heat molding pressure of 3 MPa had preferable flexural properties and failure mode.     

Compressive strength and wear properties of SiC/Al6061 composites reinforced with high contents of SiC fabricated by pressure-assisted infiltration

Pressure-assisted infiltration was used to synthesize SiC/Al 6061 composites containing high weight percentages of SiC. A combination of PEG and glass water was used to fabricate SiC preforms and the effect of the presence of glass water on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the preforms was evaluated by performing compression tests on the preforms. Also, the compressive strength and the hardness of the SiC/Al composites were investigated. The results revealed that the glass water improved the compressive strength of the preforms by about five times. The microstructural characterization of the composites showed that the penetration of the aluminum melt into the preforms was completed and almost no porosity could be seen in the microstructures of the composites. Moreover, the composite containing 75 wt% SiC exhibited the highest compressive strength as well as the maximum hardness. The results of the wear tests showed that increasing the SiC content reduces the wear rate so that the Al-75 wt% SiC composite has a lower wear rate and a lower coefficient of friction than those of Al-67 wt% SiC composite. This indicated higher wear resistance in these composites than the Al alloy due to the formation of a tribological layer on the surface of the composites.     

Preparation of diamond/SiC composites by the liquid silicon infiltration method and their microstructure and properties

Diamond/SiC composites have long been recognized as advanced materials for thermal management as they exhibit excellent thermal and mechanical properties. The objective was to investigate and understand the phase composition, diamond graphitization behavior, microstructure, and properties of diamond/SiC composites developed following the liquid silicon infiltration process. The results revealed that the incorporation of α-SiC particles increased the degree of uniformity of the microstructure of the diamond/SiC composites. The acoustic mismatch model was used to analyze the samples before and after diamond graphitization to evaluate the interfacial thermal resistance of the composites. The results indicated that the interfacial thermal resistance of the graphitized composites was 11.9 times higher than the interfacial thermal resistance of the un-graphitized composites. Finally, the correlation between the diamond content of the composites and their thermal and mechanical properties was investigated.     

The ablation behavior and mechanical property of C/C-SiC-ZrB2 composites fabricated by reactive melt infiltration

In order to improve the ablation resistance of carbon/carbon (C/C) composites, SiC-ZrB₂ di-phase ceramic were introduced by reactive melt infiltration. The ablation properties of these composites were evaluated by oxyacetylene torch with a heat flux of 2.38 MW/m² for 60 s. Compared with the pure C/C composites, the C/C-SiC-ZrB₂ composites show a significant improvement in the ablation resistance, and the linear and mass ablation rates decreased from 10.28×10⁻³ mm/s to 6.72×10⁻³ mm/s and from 3.08×10⁻³ g/s to 0.61×10⁻³ g/s, respectively. After ablation test, the flexural strength retentions of the C/C and C/C-SiC-ZrB₂ composites near the ablated center region are 39.7% and 81.6%, respectively. The higher strength retention rate of C/C-SiC-ZrB₂ composites was attributed to the introduction of SiC-ZrB₂ ceramic phases, which have excellent ablation resistant property. During ablation test, an ‘embedding structure’ of Zr-O-Si glass layer was formed, which could act as an effective barrier for oxygen and heat. The oxide ceramic coating could protect the C/C-SiC-ZrB₂ composites from further ablation, and thus contribute to retaining the mechanical property of C/C-SiC-ZrB₂ composites after ablation.     

Mechanical and dielectric properties of SiCf/SiC composites fabricated by PIP combined with CIP process

2D KD-1 SiC fiber fabrics were employed to fabricate SiC_f/SiC composites by an improved polymer infiltration and pyrolysis (PIP) process, combined with cold isostatic pressing (CIP). The effect of CIP process on the microstructure, mechanical and dielectric properties of SiC_f/SiC composites was investigated. The infiltration efficiency was remarkably improved with the introduction of CIP process. Compared to vacuum infiltration, the CIP process can effectively increase the infiltrated precursor content and decrease the porosity resulting in a dense matrix. Thus SiC_f/SiC composites with high density of 2.11 g cm⁻³ and low porosity of 11.3% were obtained at 100 MPa CIP pressure, together with an increase of the flexural strength of the composites from 89 MPa to 213 MPa. Real part (ε′) and the imaginary part (ε″) of complex permittivity of SiC_f/SiC composites increase and vary from 11.7-i9.7 to 15.0-i12.8 when the CIP pressure reaches 100 MPa.     

Ablation behaviour of Csf/ZrB2-SiC composites fabricated by direct ink writing and reactive melt infiltration

Pitch-based short carbon fibres reinforced C_sf/ZrB₂-SiC composites were fabricated by direct ink writing of short carbon fibres, followed by slurry impregnation and reactive melt infiltration. Ablation behaviour of the C_sf/ZrB₂-SiC composite was studied by air plasma test. It is indicated that the skeleton of the oriented short carbon fibres provides heat diffusion channels. Consequently, temperatures at the ablation surface are as low as ∼1730 ^oC and ∼2000 ^oC respectively at 4 MW/m² and 5 MW/m². The composite presents outstanding ablation-resistant performance with a linear recession rate of ∼ − 0.04 µm/s and mass recession rate of ∼ − 3.40 mg/s at 4 MW/m², ∼ − 0.17 µm/s and ∼ 3.58 mg/s at 5 MW/m². It is revealed that the fibres area and matrix area of the composite present different ablation mechanisms. The fibres area is ablated severely, while the matrix area presents excellent ablation-resistance with continuous ZrO₂-SiO₂ protective layer.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Cf/ZrC composites fabricated by reactive melt infiltration at relatively low temperature

Carbon fiber-reinforced zirconium carbide matrix composites (C_f/ZrC) were prepared by vacuum infiltrating porous carbon/carbon preforms with molten Zr₂Cu alloy at 1200 °C. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microcopy and transmission electron microscopy analysis were used to characterize the composition and microstructure of the final composites. It was found that the matrix of the composites were composed of the Cu–Zr–C amorphous phase dispersed with either single- or polycrystalline ZrC. Based on the microstructural analysis, the formation mechanism of the matrix was proposed to be a solution-precipitation and grain coalescence process. The influence of the heat treatment at 1800 °C was also investigated. Results indicated that at very high temperature the volatilization of residual metal somewhat deteriorated the flexural strength and the elastic modulus, but the fracture toughness of the composites was improved due to the sintering of ZrC grains.     

Fabrication of C/SiC composites by combining liquid infiltration process and spark plasma sintering technique

Carbon fibre-reinforced silicon carbide composites (C-SiC) were fabricated combining, for the first time, a liquid infiltration process (LI) of a mesophase pitch doped with silicon carbide nanoparticles followed by reactive liquid silicon infiltration using Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) technique. A graphitization step was applied in order to improve the effectiveness of the processing. Up to three different morphologies of SiC particles were identified with a noticeable influence on the preliminary oxidation tests carried out. The presence of SiC nanoparticles added to the carbon matrix affects the morphology of the SiC obtained by in situ reaction of silicon and carbon during the LI process by SPS and it leads to an improvement of the material oxidation resistance. The results show that SPS is a promising method to develop C-SiC composites in a short time and with a high efficiency in the liquid silicon infiltration process.     

Thermal properties of diamond/Ag composites fabricated by eletroless silver plating

Thermal management in microelectronic technology has become an important issue due to the increase of device power and integration levels. Diamond and silver were selected for the fabrication of composites with high thermal conductivity and low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE). Diamond reinforcement powders with varied types, shapes and sizes were electroless plated by silver. Then these powders were hot-pressed in air at 600 °C, 500 MPa for 30 min to produce bulk silver matrix composites. The thermal conductivity and the CTEs of the composite at 20 vol.% are 420 W/m K and 12 ppm/K, respectively. These diamond/Ag composites have potential applications for the high integration electronic devices.     

Manufacturing 2D carbon-fiber-reinforced SiC matrix composites by slurry infiltration and PIP process

Sub-micrometer SiC particles were firstly added to the preceramic solution in the first infiltration step to enhance the mechanical properties of 2D C_f/SiC composites fabricated via polymer infiltration and pyrolysis (PIP) process. The effects of pyrolysis temperature and SiC-filler content on microstructures and properties of the composites were systematically studied. The results show that the failure stress and fracture toughness increased with the increase of pyrolysis temperature. SiC filler of sub-micron scale infiltrated into the composites increased the mechanical properties. As a result, for the finally fabricated composite infiltrated with a slurry containing 40 wt.% SiC filler, the failure stress was doubled compared to that without SiC filler addition, and the fracture toughness reached ≈10 MPa m^1/2.     

Removal mechanism of SiC/SiC composites by underwater femtosecond laser ablation

Silicon carbide Ceramic matrix composites (SiC matrix with SiC fibers, abbreviated as SiC/SiC composites) are widely used in aerospace and energy applications due to their excellent resistance to high temperatures, corrosion, wear, and low density. However, the difficult machinability and surface oxidation of SiC/SiC composites are the main factors restricting their further application. To address these issues, this paper explores a novel method for underwater femtosecond laser ablation of SiC/SiC composites to obtain high cleanliness, low-oxidation microporous surfaces. This paper systematically analyses the changes in hole depth, material removal rate (MRR), surface morphology, and material components during underwater femtosecond laser ablation of SiC/SiC composites, and explains the formation of typical features such as induced cones, small banded pits, fiber debonding and shedding. Our work provides new research ideas for understanding the removal mechanism and surface oxidation resistance of SiC/SiC composites.     

Interfacial zone surrounding the diamond in reaction bonded diamond/SiC composites: Interphase structure and formation mechanism

Diamond/SiC composites have attracted considerable research interests due to their outstanding properties sought for a wide range of applications. Among a few techniques used for the fabrication of diamond/SiC composites, molten Si infiltration is an approach highly favored due to its cost-effectiveness and process flexibility. This study critically evaluated the interfacial zone surrounding the diamond in a reaction bonded (RB) diamond/SiC composite. XRD suggests that the composite consists of diamond, α-SiC, β-SiC, Si, and graphite. TEM reveals that a thin layer of graphite surrounds the diamond grain and it appears to form through a process of diamond graphitization and amorphous carbon transformation during the fabrication. In addition, a carbon dissolution and saturation process is proposed as a predominant mechanism for the formation of nano-crystalline SiC near the interface as well as the defects inside the SiC grits. A minor Al₄C₃ phase is occasionally detected near the interface region.     

Effects of the single layer CVD SiC interphases on the mechanical properties of the SiCf/SiC composites fabricated by PIP process

Owing to the degradation of the mechanical properties of the SiC fiber reinforced SiC matrix (SiCf/SiC) composites with the pyrocarbon (PyC) and BN interphases under oxidation environment and neutron irradiation, single layer SiC interphases prepared by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process were employed to substitute for them. Effects of the CVD SiC interphases on the mechanical properties and interfacial characteristics of the SiCf/SiC composites fabricated by precursor infiltration and pyrolysis (PIP) process were investigated. Compared with the as-received SiCf/SiC composites, the SiCf/SiC composites with the single layer CVD SiC interphases exhibit an obvious toughened fracture behavior, the flexural strength of which is about 4 times that of the as-received SiCf/SiC composites. From the microstructural analysis, it can be confirmed that the SiC interphases play a key part in protecting the fibers from damage during composite preparation and weakening interfacial bonding, which can provide high in situ fiber strength and appropriate interfacial bonding strength for the SiCf/SiC composites.