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Journal of Advanced Ceramics 2017, 6(2): 165-175 https://doi.org/10.1007/s40145-017-0229-1
Research Article | Open Access | Issue | Published: 16 June 2017

Pressureless sintering of ZrC with variable stoichiometry

Show Author's Information Katrin SCHÖNFELDa( ),  Hans-Peter MARTINa,  Alexander MICHAELISa
Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS, Dresden, Germany
Keywords:
zirconium carbide (ZrC), carbothermal reduction, sintering, mechanical properties, electrical properties
Cite this article:
SCHÖNFELD K, MARTIN H-P, MICHAELIS A. Pressureless sintering of ZrC with variable stoichiometry. Journal of Advanced Ceramics, 2017, 6(2): 165-175. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40145-017-0229-1
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Abstract Full text About this article

This paper presents the experiments on the synthesis of zirconium carbide (ZrC) using carbothermal reduction of zirconia (ZrO2). The ratio of ZrO2:C is used to adapt ZrCxOy with x < 1 or ZrC + C. The modification of ZrCxOy and the total carbon amount allows the use of pressureless sintering method in combination with sintering temperatures ≤ 2000 ℃. Fully densified ZrC products are obtained. The relevant details of ZrC formation are investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The sintered products are characterized by XRD, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), as well as mechanical and electrical methods. XRD and FESEM investigations show that ZrCxOy is formed during the manufacturing process. The grain size and additional zirconia or carbon are related to the ZrO2:C ratio of the starting powder mixture. Bending strength up to 300 MPa, Young’s modulus up to 400 GPa, fracture toughness up to 4.1 MPa·m1/2, and electrical resistance at room temperature around 10-4 Ω·cm are reached by the pressureless sintered ZrC.


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About this article

Pressureless sintering of ZrC with variable stoichiometry

Show Author's information Katrin SCHÖNFELDa( ), Hans-Peter MARTINa, Alexander MICHAELISa
Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS, Dresden, Germany

Abstract

This paper presents the experiments on the synthesis of zirconium carbide (ZrC) using carbothermal reduction of zirconia (ZrO2). The ratio of ZrO2:C is used to adapt ZrCxOy with x < 1 or ZrC + C. The modification of ZrCxOy and the total carbon amount allows the use of pressureless sintering method in combination with sintering temperatures ≤ 2000 ℃. Fully densified ZrC products are obtained. The relevant details of ZrC formation are investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The sintered products are characterized by XRD, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), as well as mechanical and electrical methods. XRD and FESEM investigations show that ZrCxOy is formed during the manufacturing process. The grain size and additional zirconia or carbon are related to the ZrO2:C ratio of the starting powder mixture. Bending strength up to 300 MPa, Young’s modulus up to 400 GPa, fracture toughness up to 4.1 MPa·m1/2, and electrical resistance at room temperature around 10-4 Ω·cm are reached by the pressureless sintered ZrC.

Keywords: zirconium carbide (ZrC), carbothermal reduction, sintering, mechanical properties, electrical properties

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Publication history
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Publication history

Received: 05 January 2017
Revised: 28 March 2017
Accepted: 18 April 2017
Published: 16 June 2017
Issue date: June 2017

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© The author(s) 2017

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Open Access The articles published in this journal are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons. org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.

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