A study on sol-gel synthesis and characterization of SiC nano powder

Nano sized beta-SiC particles were synthesized from sol-gel process. Mono dispersed beta-SiC nano particles with semi spherical morphology were obtained by employing APC as a dispersant agent and adjusting pH in the range of 2.5-4. Phenolic resin and TEOS were employed as precursors and heat treatment was conducted up to 1500 A degrees C. Different techniques such as XRD, DTA, FTIR, PSA, SEM and TEM were used to characterize the formation of beta-SiC. The (Si-O-C) bonds were formed by hydrolysis and condensation reactions in the gel while the nucleation of crystalline beta-SiC was found to be initiated at 1400 A degrees C. The primary particles in the sol were found to be (< 10 nm) while the size distribution in the final product was recorded in the range of 30-50 nm.