Porous Silicon Carbide Ceramics Produced by a Carbon Foam Derived from Mixtures of Mesophase Pitch and Si Particles

Carbon foam templates were prepared from a mixture of mesophase pitch (MP) and Si particles, followed by foaming and carbonization. Subsequent molten Si infiltrated into the carbon foam at 1500°C for 4 h in an inert atmosphere resulted in the formation of porous SiC ceramics. Micrographs were investigated by a scanning electron microscope (SEM), and phase identification of porous SiC ceramics was performed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The flexural strength and bulk density of porous SiC ceramics were also measured and calculated. The results revealed that the flexural strength of porous SiC ceramics increases with increasing Si content and decreasing porosity. The addition of Si in MP results in an increased densification of porous SiC struts. With 50 wt% Si, porous SiC ceramics with a high flexural strength of 23.9 MPa and a porosity of 55% were obtained.