Silica and alumina gels were mixed to make a hybrid of a mullite precursor gel and a silicon carbide precursor gel. The crystallization of these above 1400 °C, to form in-situ composites of silicon carbide whiskers in a matrix of mullite, cristobalite and a glassy phase, was studied for different processing conditions.
This paper describes a novel route for the low-temperature formation of mullite, from pillared smectite clay precursors, for use as fiber coatings in ceramic-matrix composites. In particular, alumina-pillared bentonite converts in part to mullite at the unusually low temperature of about 800°C. The clay precursors display excellent film-forming capability and have been coated onto silicon carbide fibers. Mechanical tests on composites of the coated fibers and a borosilicate glass demonstrate their success as debond coatings, suggesting that this approach is a viable and simple route to oxide coatings for fibers.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.