Synthesis and properties of porous SiC ceramics

Porous silicon carbide (SiC) ceramics are produced using carbon matrices derived from natural wood. Such material is especially promising as it is environmentally friendly with attractive physical properties, including a high level of biocompatibility, chemical inertness, and mechanical strength. We have developed a forced impregnation process with further synthesis of SiC using natural wood as well as a variety of industrial carbon materials and compared the properties of these ceramics. The structure and composition of the materials obtained were investigated by Raman scattering spectroscopy. The hardness of the samples was estimated using the Vickers technique. It was shown that the phase composition and mechanical properties of synthesized SiC ceramics can be effectively controlled by the initial Si contents and temperature of the synthesis process. A large variety of options are demonstrated for materials development taking into account an optimal porosity selection for various practical applications. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3407565