Growth Mechanism of Nanometer-Sized SiC and Oxidation Resistance of SiC-Coated Diamond Particles

Diamond particles were coated with a thin SiC layer by the reaction of SiO vapor with diamond, and the growth mechanism of SiC as well as the oxidation resistance of the SiC-coated diamond were studied. The growth process of the SiC layer can be separated into two steps. In the first step, a thin layer of SiC with a thickness of about 15 nm is formed due to the reaction between SiO vapor and diamond. In the second step, nanometer-sized SiC granules are deposited on the SiC layer by the reaction between SiO vapor and CO. The apparent activation energy for the formation of SiC layer on diamond was found to be 100 kJ/mol. This value suggests that the SiC coating process occurred mainly by vapor-phase reaction. The oxidation resistance of the SiC-coated diamond was improved depending on the thickness of the SiC layer. Oxidation of the SiC-coated diamond particles began at 950°C, which was 400°C higher than that of uncoated diamond.