Sintering polycrystalline silicon carbide composite ceramics with ultra-high hardness under high pressure

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Silicon carbide (SiC) is an important structural ceramic material, exhibiting exceptional comprehensive properties that are unmatched by metals and other structural materials. In this study, a combination of α-SiC micron powder and β-SiC nanopowder was utilized as precursor materials for high pressure and high temperature (HPHT) sintering. Under a pressure of 5.0 GPa, polycrystalline SiC samples with mixed grain size were sintered within a temperature range from 1000 to 1700 °C, and compared with SiC samples sintered from single micron powder under identical temperature and pressure conditions. The microstructures of the two sets of SiC samples were observed using scanning electron microscopy. Additionally, the stress states and strengthening mechanisms among SiC grains with mixed grain size under HPHT were further analyzed in conjunction with X-ray diffraction results. The polycrystalline SiC composite ceramics sintered at 1700 °C exhibited superior mechanical and thermal properties, achieving a Vickers hardness of 35.2 GPa that is 23.5 % higher than that obtained by conventional spark plasma sintering and even surpassing the hardness of single crystal SiC, demonstrating thermal stability up to 1405 °C in air environment. Transmission electron microscopy was employed to analyze defects and plastic deformation in these samples. The study suggests that the primary strengthening mechanisms of the sintered polycrystalline SiC composite ceramics under HPHT include the increase in micro defects induced by in-situ plastic deformation at elevated temperatures and the effects of high-temperature creep. This study provides new insights into the HPHT sintering of hard materials.