Synchronistic preparation of fibre-like SiC and cubic-ZrO2/SiC composite from zircon via carbothermal reduction process

Abstract Fibre-like SiC and cubic-ZrO 2 /SiC composite were prepared respectively from zircon with yttrium oxide addition via carbothermal reduction process at 1600 °C for 4 h in an air atmosphere furnace, where the green samples were immerged in charred coal particles inside a high-temperature enclosed corundum crucible. The reaction products were characterized by XRD, XRF, XPS and SEM. The results indicate that ZrO 2 in the products was mainly existed in the form of cubic phase. The reacted samples mainly contain cubic ZrO 2 , β-SiC and trace amounts of zircon, with the SiC accounting for 14.8 wt%. Furthermore, a large quantity of fibre-like SiC was surprisingly found to concentrate in the charred coal particles layers around the samples. This study obtains fibre-like SiC and cubic-ZrO 2 /SiC composite synchronically from zircon via carbothermal reduction process, which also bring a value-added high-performance application for natural zircon.