Advanced Arc Plasma Synthesis of Biomorphic Silicon Carbide Using Charcoal and Silicon Dioxide in Air

Alexander Ya Pak,Tamara Yu Yakich,Alexander A Gromov,Konstantin V Slyusarskiy,Anastasia P Korchagina,Kirill B Larionov,Vladimir E Gubin,Stanislav A Yankovsky

doi:10.1007/s12649-021-01517-8

Abstract

This work presents the results revealing the possibility of obtaining a cubic phase of silicon carbide with features of a biomorphic structure. Renewable plant raw materials were used as a source of carbon, in particular, pyrolyzed sawdust, which is a waste of a timber enterprise. Silicon dioxide powder was used as a source of silicon. The synthesis was realized using DC arc discharge plasma initiated in an open air. In this case, the oxidation of the synthesis products was prevented due to the effect of the reaction volume self-shielding from atmospheric oxygen. It was possible due to the generation of protective gaseous medium predominantly consisting of carbon dioxide and monoxide. The dependences of the product phase composition on the supplied energy and composition of initial components were established. The synthesis product was characterized by a significant excess of carbon, which was a caused by the erosion of the electrodes. After removal of chemically unbound carbon from synthesis product by annealing in an atmospheric furnace at 850 °C, obtained powder was sintered by the spark plasma sintering method. In the result, a bulk ceramic sample was obtained in which the only one crystalline phase of silicon carbide with a lattice parameter of 4.359 Å was identified.

Highlights

Wastes from the wood are a renewable raw material for processing and further application for charcoal production
In this work powders and a ceramic sample of SiC were obtained using the electric arc method for plasma processing a mixture of silicon oxide and charcoal obtained from sawdust
The morphology of the obtained materials was made it possible to identify multiple pores and individual crystals of silicon carbide with size varied in a range from 1 to 10 μm

Summary

Introduction

Wastes from the wood are a renewable raw material for processing and further application for charcoal production. A large number of types of wood and other biomass, as well as its waste, allows the application of feedstock for the synthesis of the carbides of metals and non-metals with different shape and size of pores and channels, as well as with different physical and mechanical characteristics. In this case, it is possible to involve organic waste in the technological cycle of carbide production. The use of charcoal as a raw material for the synthesis of metal and non-metal carbides is an important direction of the scientific development in field of synthesis methods and the application of refractory carbides. The development of new methods for the synthesis of silicon carbide using charcoal is an important task

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Conclusion