Effect of microstructure on oxidation resistance of MoSi2 fabricated by spark plasma sintering

In order to clarify the effect of microstructure on oxidation resistance of MoSi2, structure and oxidation resistance of sintered MoSi2 were studied. Sintered MoSi2 was fabricated by a spark plasma sintering method from the two kinds of starting material, MoSi2 powder and mixed powders of elemental Mo and Si. Dense MoSi2 containing few SiO2 inclusions was fabricated by applying in situ synthesis using mixed powders of Mo and Si. Oxidation behavior in the accelerated oxidation temperature region of MoSi2 showed that accelerated oxidation was remarkably suppressed. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.