@article{Han2026, 
author = {Lujia Han and Huakang Zhang and Xiao Yang and Yuanyuan Li and Yanhao Dong and Jiangtao Li},
title = {Combustion co-synthesis of nano SiC and purified Si3N4 powders by coupling strong and weak exothermic reactions},
year = {2026},
journal = {Industrial Chemistry & Materials},
volume = {4},
number = {3},
pages = {366-377},
keywords = {Combustion synthesis, Nanoparticles, SiC, Si3N4, Reaction kinetics},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.1039/d5im00191a},
doi = {10.1039/d5im00191a},
abstract = {Silicon carbide (SiC) powders and silicon nitride (Si3N4) powders are critical raw materials for advanced ceramic technology and industry. There are two challenges in their synthesis and production: (ⅰ) phase formation of nano SiC powders due to harsh reaction temperature and (ⅱ) preparation of high-purity Si3N4 powders due to difficulties in removing trace oxygen impurities. Combustion synthesis is a cheap, scalable method for producing SiC and Si3N4 powders. However, there are two additional challenges: (ⅲ) combustion synthesis of SiC requires intense external energy input due to the weak exothermic reaction between Si and C and (ⅳ) combustion synthesis of Si3N4 requires a diluent to slow down the self-accelerated reaction and fully convert Si to Si3N4 due to the strong exothermic reaction between Si and N2. Here, we reported a new combustion co-synthesis of nano SiC and high-purity Si3N4 powders in one chamber, which addressed all four challenges mentioned above: (ⅰ) the production of nano SiC powders resolved by fast synthesis, (ⅱ) purified pink-grade Si3N4 powders using carbon as an efficient high-temperature oxygen getter, (ⅲ) ignited Si–C combustion by a strongly exothermic Si–N2 reaction, and (ⅳ) more controllable Si–N2 combustion with less diluent usage and less residual Si. We demonstrated nano β-SiC powders with ~30 nm primary particle size and high-purity pink-colored β-Si3N4 powders with oxygen impurity content down to 0.46 wt%. This study not only offers practical solutions to the production of high-quality SiC and Si3N4 powders but also refreshes the design of combustion synthesis with new possibilities and improved controllability.}
}