Corrosion of silicon nitride in high temperature alkaline solutions

The corrosion of silicon nitride (Si3N4) in alkaline solutions was studied at temperatures from 60 to 300 °C. Si3N4 experienced significant corrosion above 100 °C. The release rates of silicon and nitrogen follow zero order reaction kinetics and increase with increasing temperature. The molar ratio of dissolved silicon and nitrogen species in the high temperature solutions is the same as that in the solid phase (congruent dissolution). The activation energy for silicon and nitrogen release rates is 75 kJ/mol which agrees well with that of silica dissolution. At 300 °C, the release of aluminum is observed and follows first order reaction kinetics while other minor constituents including Ti and Y are highly enriched on the corrosion films due to the low solubility of their oxides.