Secondary phases in hot-pressed aluminum-boron-carbon-silicon carbide

Silicon carbide hot-pressed with aluminum, boron, and carbon as sintering aids (ABC–SiC), was studied by transmission electron microscopy. Both grain-boundary films and inclusions were prevalent in this material. The present study characterized the inclusions located in triple-junctions, grain boundaries, and the interior of the SiC grains, with emphases on phases not scrutinized before. These inclusions were crystalline, in contrast to the amorphous grain-boundary films. Two dominant types of boron-free triple-junction phases containing Al(Si)-O-C-(S) and Al(Si)-O were identified, where sulfur was an unexpected contaminant, and silicon came from SiO2 or from dissolution of SiC. Boron-containing inclusions with a composition Al-O-B-C were frequently observed inside SiC grains. Although the boron-free aluminum-rich phases wet the grain boundaries completely and are, therefore, effective sintering additives, the boron-containing Al(Si)-O-B-C did not wet the grain boundaries. The structure and chemical composition of these boron-containing intragranular inclusions were determined, and their mechanism of formation is discussed.

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