Synthesis of α-SiC particles at 1200 °C by microwave heating

By microwave heating at about 1200 °C and holding for 15 min, a new route was proposed to prepare α-SiC particles, using silicon, graphite and aluminum powders as starting materials in a N2–Ar atmosphere. Both Al and N2 have played important roles in the synthesis of α-SiC by the formation of an AlN heterogeneous nuclei. Si–C atomic layers replicated the structure of the in-situ synthesized hexagonal AlN nuclei, then α-SiC particles formed under microwave activation. The maximum productivity of α-SiC particles in the synthesized products was 68 wt.%. This simple method could effectively reduce energy and time consumption in contrast to the traditional process for the synthesis of α-SiC.