.Wear 225–229 1999 848–856 Tribochemical polishing of silicon carbide in oxidant solution

.Tribochemical polishing TCP has been applied to finish polycrystalline silicon carbide samples. With this technique, material is removed without intentionally using abrasives, by chemical dissolution stimulated by friction in a suitable reactive fluid. For the latter, .oxidant solutions such as CrO, H O and KMnO were used. A smooth Ras1 nm, defect-free SiC surface is achieved when a SiC3 2 2 4 sample is polished in a 3 wt. % CrO solution at speeds of 4–6 cmrs and loads of 1.96 N–9.8 N. The polishing rate is 3–7=10y63 mm3rN m when rubbing against a Si N tool. Plane samples with surface dimensions of 2 cm=2 cm were polished by rubbing against3 4 cast iron. The surface roughness was less than 1 nm, analyzed by atomic force microscopy. The polishing rate is 0.2–0.4 mmrh, which is comparable to that of the finishing step in ceramic lapping. The polishing mechanism of SiC is discussed in terms of interaction betwee