Manufacturing of Complex Silicon–Carbon Structures: Exploring Si<sub>x</sub>C<sub>y</sub> Materials

This paper reports on the manufacturing of complex three-dimensional Si/C structures via a chemical vapor deposition method. The structure and properties of the grown materials were characterized using various techniques including scanning electron microscopy, aberration-corrected transmission elect...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Skyler Oglesby, Sergei A. Ivanov, Alejandra Londonõ-Calderon, Douglas Pete, Michael Thompson Pettes, Andrew Crandall Jones, Sakineh Chabi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-05-01
Series:Materials
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/10/3475
Description
Summary:This paper reports on the manufacturing of complex three-dimensional Si/C structures via a chemical vapor deposition method. The structure and properties of the grown materials were characterized using various techniques including scanning electron microscopy, aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy, confocal Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The spectroscopy results revealed that the grown materials were composed of micro/nanostructures with various compositions and dimensions. These included two-dimensional silicon carbide (SiC), cubic silicon, and various SiC polytypes. The coexistence of these phases at the nano-level and their interfaces can benefit several Si/C-based applications ranging from ceramics and structural applications to power electronics, aerospace, and high-temperature applications. With an average density of 7 mg/cm<sup>3</sup>, the grown materials can be considered ultralightweight, as they are three orders of magnitude lighter than bulk Si/C materials. This study aims to impact how ceramic materials are manufactured, which may lead to the design of new carbide materials or Si/C-based lightweight structures with additional functionalities and desired properties.
ISSN:1996-1944