Aqueous colloidal processing of SiC with Y3Al5O12 liquid-phase sintering additives

The aqueous colloidal processing of SiC with Y3Al5O12 liquid-phase sintering additives was investigated for two different additive systems, one the mixture of Y2O3 and Al2O3 in a 3:5 molar ratio and the other directly Y3Al5O12. The investigation involved the study of the colloidal stability of the different components, and the comparison of the rheological behaviour of concentrated suspensions of SiC, SiC + 3Y2O3:5Al2O3, and SiC + Y3Al5O12 as a function of the sonication condition, dispersant content, and solid loading. This allowed appropriate conditions for the preparation of well-dispersed, single-phase, and multi-component concentrated suspensions of SiC to be identified. It was found that the multi-component suspensions have better rheological behaviour than the single-phase ones, and that in terms of rheology and slip casting the Y3Al5O12 additives are more functional than the conventional 3Y2O3 + 5Al2O3 additives. It was also demonstrated that the Y3Al5O12 additive is as effective as the 3Y2O3 + 5Al2O3 additive in densifying SiC via liquid-phase sintering, with there existing no differences either in the microstructure or in room-temperature mechanical properties (hardness, toughness, and fracture mode). Implications of interest for the wet-shaping of complex SiC parts are discussed.