Preparation and Analysis of Carbon Fiber-Silicon Carbide Thermally Conductive Asphalt Concrete

An experimental investigation into the thermal conductivity of CF-SiC two-phase composite asphalt concrete is presented.The main objective of this study was to verify the possibility of using SiC powder instead of mineral powder as the thermal conductive filler to prepare a new type of asphalt concrete and improve the efficiency of electrothermal snow and ice melting systems accordingly.The thermal conductivity of asphalt concrete prepared with different thermally conductive fillers was tested by a transient plane source method,and the related performances were measured.Then the temperature rise rate and surface temperature were studied through field heating tests.Finally,the actual ice melting efficiency of the thermally conductive asphalt concrete was evaluated using an effective electrothermal system.As shown by the experimental results,the composite made of SiC powder and carbon fiber has a high thermal conductivity.When SiC replaces mineral powder,the thermal conductivity of the asphalt mixture increases first and then decreases with the increase of carbon fiber content.In the present study,in particular,the thermal conductivity attained a peak when the carbon fiber content was 0.2%of the aggregate mass.

Influence of Carbon Content on Element Diffusion in Silicon Carbide-Based TRISO Composite Fuel

The coating layers of Tri-structural Isotropic Particles(TRISO)serve to protect the kernel and act as barriers to fission products.Sintering aids in the silicon carbide matrix variably react with TRISO coating layers,leading to the destruction of the coating layers.Investigating how carbon content affects element diffusion in silicon carbide-based TRISO composite fuel is of great significance for predicting reactor safety.In this study,silicon carbide-based TRISO composite fuels with different carbon contents were prepared by adding varying amounts of phenolic resin to the silicon carbide matrix.X-ray Diffraction(XRD)and Scanning Electron Microscopy(SEM)were employed to characterize the phase composition,morphology,and microstructure of the composite fuels.The elemental content in each coating layer of TRISO was quantified using Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy(EDS).The results demonstrated that the addition of phenolic resin promoted the uniform distribution of sintering aids in the silicon carbide matrix.The atomic percentage(at.%)of aluminum(Al)in the pyrolytic carbon layer of the TRISO particles reached its lowest value of 0.55%when the phenolic resin addition was 1%.This is because the addition of phenolic resin caused the Al and silicon(Si)in the matrix to preferentially react with the carbon in the phenolic resin to form a metastable liquid phase,rather than preferentially consuming the pyrolytic carbon in the outer coating layer of the TRISO particles.The findings suggest that carbon addition through phenolic resin incorporation can effectively mitigate the deleterious reactions between the TRISO coating layers and sintering aids,thereby enhancing the durability and safety of silicon carbide-based TRISO composite fuels.

Research on Silicon Carbide Dispersion-Reinforced Hypereutectic Aluminum-Silicon Electronic Packaging Materials

The objective of this study is to improve the mechanical properties and machining performance of high thermal conductivity and low expansion silicon carbide dispersion-strengthened hypereutectic aluminum-silicon electronic packaging materials to meet the needs of aviation,aerospace,and electronic packaging fields.We used the powder metallurgy method and high-temperature hot pressing technology to prepare SiC/Al-Si composite materials with different SiC contents(5vol%,10vol%,15vol%,and 20vol%).The results showed that as the SiC content increased,the tensile strength of the composite material first increased and then decreased.The tensile strength was the highest when the SiC content was 15%;the sintering temperature significantly affected the composite material’s structural density and mechanical properties.Findings indicated 700℃was the optimal sintering and the optimal SiC content of SiC/Al-Si composite materials was between 10%and 15%.Besides,the sintering temperature should be strictly controlled to improve the material’s structural density and mechanical properties.

Preparation and properties of porous silicon carbide ceramics through coat-mix and composite additives process

The core-shell structure silicon-resin precursor powders were synthesized through coat-mix process and addition of Al2O3-SiO2-Y2O3 composite additives.A series of porous silicon carbide ceramics were produced after molding,carbonization and sintering.The phase,morphology,porosity,thermal conductivity,thermal expansion coefficient,and thermal shock resistance were analyzed.The results show that porous silicon carbide ceramics can be produced at low temperature.The grain size of porous silicon carbide ceramic is small,and the thermal conductivity is enhanced significantly.Composite additives also improve the thermal shock resistance of porous ceramics.The bending strength loss rate after 30 times of thermal shock test of the porous ceramics which were added Al2O3-SiO2-Y2O3 and sintered at 1 650 ℃ is only 6.5%.Moreover,the pore inside of the sample is smooth,and the pore size distribution is uniform.Composite additives make little effect on the thermal expansion coefficient of the porous silicon carbide ceramics.

Influence of pyrolysis temperature on structure and dielectric properties of polycarbosilane derived silicon carbide ceramic

β-SiC ceramic powders were obtained by pyrolyzing polycarbosilane in vacuum at 800-1200 °C. The β-SiC ceramic powders were characterized by TGA/DSC, XRD and Raman spectroscopy. The dielectric properties of β-SiC ceramic powders were investigated by measuring their complex permittivity by rectangle wave guide method in the frequency range of 8.2-18 GHz. The results show that both real part ε′ and imaginary part ε″ of complex permittivity increase with increasing pyrolysis temperature. The mechanism was proposed that order carbon formed at high temperature resulted in electron relaxation polarization and conductance loss, which contributes to the increase in complex permittivity.

Effect of High Temperature Annealing on Characteristics of 4H Silicon Carbide MESFET

For very high temperature annealing (1620℃) after ion implantation for 4H silicon carbide (4H SiC),the residual components of Al and O in the alundum furnace impact seriously on the surface of material,which yields the derivation of SiOC.This causes a significant degradation of the 4H SiC surface characteristics according to the results of surface composition analysis.As validity,Ni/SiC ohmic contact measurement illustrates a higher specific contact resistance than the normal value by a factor of 2～3.Consequently the MESFET fabricated with this kind of 4H SiC material results in a degraded I V output performance compared with that of normal 4H SiC MESFET.

Evidence of the Role of Carbon Vacancies in Nickel-Based Ohmic Contacts to n-Type Silicon Carbide

N-wells are created by P＋ ion implantation into Si-faced p-type 4H-SiC epilayer. Ti and Ni are deposited in sequence on the surface of the active regions. Ni2Si is identified as the dominant phase by X-ray diffraction （XRD） analysis after metallization annealing. An amorphous C film at the Ni2 Si/SiC interface is confirmed by an X-ray energy-dispersive spectrometer （XEDS）. The Ni2Si and amorphous C film are etched away selectively,followed by deposition of new metal films without annealing. Measurement of the current-voltage characteristics shows that the contacts are still ohmic after the Ni2 Si and amorphous C film are replaced by new metal films. The sheet resistance Rsh of the implanted layers decreases from 975 to 438f2/D, because carbon vacancies （Vc） appeared during annealing,which act as donors for electrons in SiC.

Fabrication of n^+ Polysilicon Ohmic Contacts with a Heterojunction Structure to n-Type 4H-Silicon Carbide

Polysilicon ohmic contacts to n-type 4H-SiC have been fabricated. TLM （transfer length method） test patterns with polysilicon structure are formed on n-wells created by phosphorus ion （P^＋） implantation into a Si-faced p-type 4H-SiC epilayer. The polysilicon is deposited using low-pressure chemical vapor deposition （LPCVD） and doped by phosphorous ions implantation followed by diffusion to obtain a sheet resistance of 22Ω/□. The specific contact resistance pc of n^＋ polysilicon contact to n-type 4H-SiC as low as 3.82 × 10^-5Ω· cm^2 is achieved. The result for sheet resistance Rsh of the phosphorous ion implanted layers in SiC is about 4.9kΩ/□. The mechanisms for n^＋ polysilicon ohmic contact to n-type SiC are discussed.

High Strength Silicon Carbide Foams and Their Deformation Behavior

Silicon carbide （SIC） foams with a continuously connected open-cell structure were prepared and characterized for their mechanical performance. The apparent densities of SiC foams were controlled between about 0.4 and 2.3 g/cm^3, with corresponding compressive strengths ranging from about 23 to 60 MPa and flexural strengths from about 8 to 30 MPa. Compressive testing of the SiC foams yielded stress-strain curves with only one linear-elastic region, which is different from those reported on ceramic foams in literature. This can possibly be attributed to the existence of filaments with fine, dense and high strength microstructures. The SiC and the filaments respond homogeneously to applied loading.

Neutronic analysis of silicon carbide cladding accident-tolerant fuel assemblies in pressurized water reactors

In resonance with the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident lesson, a novel fuel design to enhance safety regarding severe accident scenarios has become increasingly appreciated in the nuclear power industry. This research focuses on analysis of the neutronic properties of a silicon carbide(SiC) cladding fuel assembly, which provides a greater safety margin as a type of accident-tolerant fuel for pressurized water reactors. The general physical performance of SiC cladding is explored to ascertain its neutronic performance. The neutron spectrum, accumulation of ^(239)Pu, physical characteristics,temperature reactivity coefficient, and power distribution are analyzed. Furthermore, the influences of a burnable poison rod and enrichment are explored. SiC cladding assemblies show a softer neutron spectrum and flatter power distribution than conventional Zr alloy cladding fuel assemblies. Lower enrichment fuel is required when SiC cladding is adopted. However, the positive reactivity coefficient associated with the SiC material remains to be offset. The results reveal that SiC cladding assemblies show broad agreement with the neutronic performance of conventional Zr alloy cladding fuel. In the meantime, its unique physical characteristics can lead to improved safety and economy.

Sintering and microstructure of silicon carbide ceramic with Y_3Al_5O_(12) added by sol-gel method

Silicon carbide (SiC) ceramic with YAG (Y3Al5O12) additive added by sol-gel method was liquid-phase sintered at different sintering temperatures, and the sintering mechanism and microstructural characteristics of resulting silicon carbide ceramics were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and elemental distribution of surface (EDS). YAG (yttrium aluminum garnet) phase formed before the sintering and its uniform distribution in the SiC/YAG composite powder decreased the sintering temperature and improved the densification of SiC ceramic. The suitable sintering temperature was 1860 °C with the specimen sintered at this temperature having superior sintering and mechanical properties, smaller crystal size and fewer microstructure defects. Three characteristics of improved toughness of SiC ceramic with YAG added by sol-gel method were microstructural densification, main-crack deflection and crystal ‘bridging’.

On the Strength of Silicon Carbide Particulate Reinforced Aluminium Alloy Matrix Composites

In the present study, the modified continuum model, quench strengthening and dislocation pile-up model was respectively used to estimate the yield strength of SiCp/AI composites. The experimental results showed that the modified shear lag model or quench strengthening model would underestimate the yield strength of SiCp/AI composites. However, the modified Hall-Petch correlation on the basis of the dislocation pile-up model, expressed as σcy = 244 + 371λ-1/2, fitted very well with the experimental data, which indicated that the strength increase of SiCp/AI composites might be due to the direct blocking of dislocation motion by the particulate-matrix interface. Namely, the dislocation pile-up is the most possible strengthening mechanism for SiCp/AI composites.

Design and fabrication of 10-kV silicon–carbide p-channel IGBTs with hexagonal cells and step space modulated junction termination extension

10-kV 4 H–SiC p-channel insulated gate bipolar transistors(IGBTs) are designed, fabricated, and characterized in this paper. The IGBTs have an active area of 2.25 mm^2 with a die size of 3 mm× 3 mm. A step space modulated junction termination extension(SSM-JTE) structure is introduced and fabricated to improve the blocking performance of the IGBTs.The SiC p-channel IGBTs with SSM-JTE termination exhibit a leakage current of only 50 nA at-10 kV. To improve the on-state characteristics of SiC IGBTs, the hexagonal cell(H-cell) structure is designed and compared with the conventional interdigital cell(I-cell) structure. At an on-state current of 50 A/cm^2, the voltage drops of I-cell IGBT and H-cell IGBT are10.1 V and 8.3 V respectively. Meanwhile, on the assumption that the package power density is 300 W/cm^2, the maximum permissible current densities of the I-cell IGBT and H-cell IGBT are determined to be 34.2 A/cm^2 and 38.9 A/cm^2 with forward voltage drops of 8.8 V and 7.8 V, respectively. The differential specific on-resistance of I-cell structure and H-cell structure IGBT are 72.36 m?·cm^2 and 56.92 m?·cm^2, respectively. These results demonstrate that H-cell structure silicon carbide IGBT with SSM-JTE is a promising candidate for high power applications.

Structural feature and electronic property of an (8, 0) carbon-silicon carbide nanotube heterojunction

A supercell of a nanotube heterojunction formed by an （8, 0） carbon nanotube （CNT） and an （8, 0） silicon carbide nanotube （SiCNT） is established, in which 96 C atoms and 32 Si atoms are included. The geometry optimization and the electronic property of the heterojunction are implemented through the first-principles calculation based on the density functional theory （DFT）. The results indicate that the structural rearrangement takes place mainly on the interface and the energy gap of the heterojunction is 0.31 eV, which is narrower than those of the isolated CNT and the isolated SiCNT. By using the average bond energy method, the valence band offset and the conduction band offset are obtained as 0.71 and -0.03 eV, respectively.

Effect of SiO_2 on the Preparation and Properties of Pure Carbon Reaction Bonded Silicon Carbide Ceramics

Effect of SiO 2 content and sintering process on the composition and properties of Pure Carbon Reaction Bonded Silicon Carbide (PCRBSC) ceramics prepared with C-SiO 2 green body by infiltrating silicon was presented.The infiltrating mechanism of C-SiO 2 preform was also explored.The experimental results indicate that the shaping pressure increases with the addition of SiO 2 to the preform,and the pore size of the body turned finer and distributed in a narrower range,which is beneficial to decreasing the residual silicon content in the sintered materials and to avoiding shock off,thus increasing the conversion rate of SiC.SiO 2 was deoxidized by carbon at a high temperature and the gaseous SiO and CO produced are the main reason to the crack of the body at an elevated temperature.If the green body is deposited at 1800℃ in vacuum before infiltration crack will not be produced in the preform and fully dense RBSC can be obtained.The ultimate material has the following properties:a density of 3.05-3.12g/cm3,a strength of 580±32MPa and a hardness of (HRA)91-92.3.

The fabrication of nickel silicide ohmic contacts to n-type 6H-silicon carbide

This paper reports that the nickel silicide ohmic contacts to n-type 6H-SiC have been fabricated. Transfer length method test patterns with NiSi/SiC and NiSi2/SiC structure axe formed on N-wells created by N^＋ ion implantation into Si-faced p-type 6H-SiC epilayer respectively. NiSi and NiSi2 films are prepared by annealing the Ni and Si films separately deposited. A two-step annealing technology is performed for decreasing of oxidation problems occurred during high temperature processes. The specific contact resistance Pc of NiSi contact to n-type 6H-SiC as low as 1.78× 10^-6Ωcm^2 is achieved after a two-step annealing at 350 ℃for 20 min and 950℃ for 3 min in N2. And 3.84×10-6Ωcm^2 for NiSi2 contact is achieved. The result for sheet resistance Rsh of the N＋ implanted layers is about 1210Ω/□. X-ray diffraction analysis shows the formation of nickel silicide phases at the metal/n-SiC interface after thermal annealing. The surfaces of the nickel silicide after thermal annealing are analysed by scanning electron microscope.

Surface plasmon enhanced photoluminescence in amorphous silicon carbide films by adjusting Ag island film sizes

Ag island films with different sizes are deposited on hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide （a-SiC：H） films, and the influences of Ag island films on the optical properties of the tx-SiC：H films are investigated. Atomic force microscope images show that Ag nanoislands are formed after Ag coating, and the size of the Ag islands increases with increasing Ag deposition time. The extinction spectra indicate that two resonance absorption peaks which correspond to out-of-plane and in-plane surface plasmon modes of the Ag island films are obtained, and the resonance peak shifts toward longer wavelength with increasing Ag island size. The photoluminescence （PL） enhancement or quenching depends on the size of Ag islands, and PL enhancement by 1.6 times on the main PL band is obtained when the sputtering time is 10 min. Analyses show that the influence of surface plasmons on the PL of a-SiC：H is determined by the competition between the scattering and absorption of Ag islands, and PL enhancement is obtained when scattering is the main interaction between the Ag islands and incident light.

Diffusion Bonding of Silicon Carbide Particulate Reinforced 2024 Al Composites

A study has been made on diffusion bonding of SiCp/2024Ai composites by means of pure Al interlayer. In the condition of TB=843 K, PB=16 MPa, tB= 60 min, the diffusion bonded joint, with a shear strength of 235 MPa, was obtained when a 15 μm thick interlayer was used. The results of the shear testing and SEM indicate that fracture of the joint presented characteristics of ductile rupture.

Mullite Coating on Recrytallized Silicon Carbide and Its Cycling Oxidation Behavior

Mullite coating on recrystallized silicon carbide was successfully prepared by the sol-gel route. The cycling oxidation of coated recrystallized silicon carbide was performed at 1500℃. For comparison, the oxidation of uncoated recrystallized silicon carbide was also carried out at the same condition. The results in- dicated that a layer of compact, adhesive and crack free mullite coating was found on the recrystallized silicon carbide. After oxidation, the new coatings exhibit adherence and crack resistance under thermal cycling between room temperature and 1500℃, therefore the oxidation resistance capability of silicon carbide was enhanced. With the increase of the dipping frequencies, namely, the increase of the thickness of mullite coating, the oxidation resistance of silicon carbide would be futher improved. The formation mechanism of mullite coating was analyzed and discussed and the oxidation dynamics model of coatedmullite silicon carbide has been also proposed.

Research on thermal shock resistance of mullite-bauxite-silicon carbide castable refractory

Effects of different silicon carbide contents on thermal shock resistance properties of mullite-bauxite castable refractory were analyzed respectively by taking the mullite,bauxite as main raw materials and taking calcium aluminate cement as a binding system.After 24 h curing in mould and another 24 h curing at 110℃ after demoulding,the samples were heated at 1000,1300 and 1500℃for 3 h in air,respectively.The bulk density,thermal expansion coefficient and thermal shock resistance were examined.The results showed that there was a great effect of content of SiC on bulk density,thermal expansion coefficient and thermal shock resistance of mullite-bauxite castable.Under the experimental conditions,the castable performed the best thermal shock resistance when w(SiC)=5%-10%.