Simple and rapid conversion of silicon carbide to nanodiamonds at ambient pressure

The oxidation of both single crystal and relatively pure polycrystalline silicon carbide, between 973 and 2053 K, resulted in the formation of cristobalite, quartz, or tridymite, which are the stable crystalline polymorphs of silica (SiO2) at ambient pressure. The oxide scales were found to be pure SiO2 with no contamination resulting from the oxidizing environment. The only variable affecting the occurrence of a specific polymorph was the oxidation temperature. Cristobalite was formed at temperatures ≥1673 K, tridymite between 1073 and 1573 K, and quartz formed at 973 K. The polymorphs were determined using electron diffraction in a transmission electron microscope. These results were further confirmed using infrared and Raman spectroscopies. Cristobalite was observed to grow in a spherulitic fashion from amorphous silica. This was not the case for tridymite and quartz, which appeared to grow as oriented crystalline films. The presence of a thin silicon oxycarbide interlayer was detected at the interface between the SiC substrate and the crystalline silica using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

Download Full-text

ChemInform Abstract: Conversion of Silicon Carbide to Crystalline Diamond-Structured Carbon at Ambient Pressure.

ChemInform ◽

10.1002/chin.200137248 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 32 (37) ◽

pp. no-no

Author(s):

Yury Gogotsi ◽

Sascha Welz ◽

Daniel A. Ersoy ◽

Michael J. McNallan

Keyword(s):

Silicon Carbide ◽

Ambient Pressure

Download Full-text

Conversion of silicon carbide to crystalline diamond-structured carbon at ambient pressure

Nature ◽

10.1038/35077031 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 411 (6835) ◽

pp. 283-287 ◽

Cited By ~ 191

Author(s):

Yury Gogotsi ◽

Sascha Welz ◽

Daniel A. Ersoy ◽

Michael J. McNallan

Keyword(s):

Silicon Carbide ◽

Ambient Pressure

Download Full-text

Direct Transformation of Amorphous Silicon Carbide into Graphene under Low Temperature and Ambient Pressure

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/srep01148 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Tao Peng ◽

Haifeng Lv ◽

Daping He ◽

Mu Pan ◽

Shichun Mu

Keyword(s):

Silicon Carbide ◽

Low Temperature ◽

Amorphous Silicon ◽

Ambient Pressure ◽

Direct Transformation ◽

Amorphous Silicon Carbide

Download Full-text

Irradiation behavior of pyrolytic silicon carbide

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100074288 ◽

1983 ◽

Vol 41 ◽

pp. 72-73

Author(s):

R. J. Lauf

Keyword(s):

Silicon Carbide ◽

Fission Products ◽

Thermodynamics And Kinetics ◽

Neutron Fluences ◽

Fuel Particles ◽

Sic Coatings ◽

Irradiation Behavior ◽

Kinetics Of ◽

Htgr Fuel

Fuel particles for the High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR) contain a layer of pyrolytic silicon carbide to act as a miniature pressure vessel and primary fission product barrier. Optimization of the SiC with respect to fuel performance involves four areas of study: (a) characterization of as-deposited SiC coatings; (b) thermodynamics and kinetics of chemical reactions between SiC and fission products; (c) irradiation behavior of SiC in the absence of fission products; and (d) combined effects of irradiation and fission products. This paper reports the behavior of SiC deposited on inert microspheres and irradiated to fast neutron fluences typical of HTGR fuel at end-of-life.

Download Full-text

Microstructural Evaluation of Silicon Carbide Whisker Reinforced Alumina Fabricated with Carbon-Coated Whiskers

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100088919 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 49 ◽

pp. 920-921

Author(s):

K. B. Alexander ◽

P. F. Becher

Keyword(s):

Silicon Carbide ◽

High Resolution Electron Microscopy ◽

Ceramic Composites ◽

Interface Debonding ◽

Resolution Electron ◽

Microstructural Evaluation ◽

Carbon Coated ◽

Electron Energy Loss ◽

Interfacial Films ◽

Debonding Process

The presence of interfacial films at the whisker-matrix interface can significantly influence the fracture toughness of ceramic composites. The film may alter the interface debonding process though changes in either the interfacial fracture energy or the residual stress at the interface. In addition, the films may affect the whisker pullout process through the frictional sliding coefficients or the extent of mechanical interlocking of the interface due to the whisker surface topography.Composites containing ACMC silicon carbide whiskers (SiCw) which had been coated with 5-10 nm of carbon and Tokai whiskers coated with 2 nm of carbon have been examined. High resolution electron microscopy (HREM) images of the interface were obtained with a JEOL 4000EX electron microscope. The whisker geometry used for HREM imaging is described in Reference 2. High spatial resolution (< 2-nm-diameter probe) parallel-collection electron energy loss spectroscopy (PEELS) measurements were obtained with a Philips EM400T/FEG microscope equipped with a Gatan Model 666 spectrometer.

Download Full-text

TEM of grain growth and phase transformations during creep of SCS-6 silicon carbide fibers

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100138129 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 53 ◽

pp. 350-351

Author(s):

L. A. Giannuzzi ◽

C. A. Lewinsohn ◽

C. E. Bakis ◽

R. E. Tressler

Keyword(s):

Silicon Carbide ◽

Creep Rate ◽

Vapor Deposition ◽

Chemical Vapor ◽

Primary Creep ◽

Excess Carbon ◽

Silicon Carbide Fibers ◽

Sic Fiber ◽

Carbon Core ◽

Grain Width

The SCS-6 SiC fiber is a 142 μm diameter fiber consisting of four distinct regions of βSiC. These SiC regions vary in excess carbon content ranging from 10 a/o down to 5 a/o in the SiC1 through SiC3 region. The SiC4 region is stoichiometric. The SiC sub-grains in all regions grow radially outward from the carbon core of the fiber during the chemical vapor deposition processing of these fibers. In general, the sub-grain width changes from 50nm to 250nm while maintaining an aspect ratio of ~10:1 from the SiC1 through the SiC4 regions. In addition, the SiC shows a <110> texture, i.e., the {111} planes lie ±15° along the fiber axes. Previous has shown that the SCS-6 fiber (as well as the SCS-9 and the developmental SCS-50 μm fiber) undergoes primary creep (i.e., the creep rate constantly decreases as a function of time) throughout the lifetime of the creep test.

Download Full-text

Environmental microscopy of capillary stress-induced strain behavior in ambient-pressure aerogels

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100166713 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 54 ◽

pp. 850-851

Author(s):

Sudeep M. Rao ◽

Joshua Samuel ◽

Sai S. Prakash ◽

C. Jeffrey Brinker

Keyword(s):

Silica Aerogel ◽

Ambient Pressure ◽

Drying Shrinkage ◽

Pore Filling ◽

Silica Network ◽

Strain Behavior ◽

Partially Saturated ◽

Capillary Stress ◽

Wetting Liquid ◽

Aerogel Films

Ambient pressure silica aerogel thin films have recently been prepared by exploiting reversible drying shrinkage caused by derivatization of the internal gel surface. Aerogels have porosities of upto 99.9% and due to the small size of the pores (few nanometers), large capillary stresses are produced in gels that are partially saturated with a wetting liquid. As a result of these capillary stresses, the flexible silica network undergoes strain which has been observed using environmental microscopy. This technique allows variation of the equilibrium vapor pressure and temperature, and a simultaneous monitoring of the deformation of the unconstrained film thickness. We have observed >600% deformation during the pore-filling and pore-emptying cycles. In this presentation, we discuss the unique stress-strain behavior of these films.Ref.: Sai S. Prakash, C. Jeffrey Brinker, Alan J. Hurd & Sudeep M. Rao, "Silica aerogel films prepared at ambient pressure by using surface derivatization to induce reversible drying shrinkage", Nature. Vol. 374, 30 March, 1995, 439-443.

Download Full-text