Comparative study of carbide-derived carbons obtained from biomorphic TiC and SiC structures

Biomorphic carbide ceramics, TiC and SiC, derived from paper performs by chemical vapor infiltration were converted into high porous carbon by carbide-derived carbon (CDC) approach using selective etching in chlorine or hydrogen/chlorine gas mixture in a temperature range of 400–1200 °C. A comparative study of both carbide precursors was performed regarding reaction kinetics, influence of hydrogen as well as microstructure of the resulting carbon. SiC showed lower reactivity than TiC. Temperatures below 650 °C are not sufficient to remove Si from SiC. Addition of hydrogen to the reactive gas inhibits the chlorination reaction. A linear decrease of etching rate with increasing hydrogen/chlorine ratio was observed for both carbide precursors. A critical ratio, where no etching takes place, was estimated to be 0.72 for TiC–CDC and 0.66 for SiC–CDC. The etching rate of TiC is independent from the temperature. In the case of SiC activation energy of the chlorination reaction of about 50 kJ/mol was estimated in the temperature range 650–800 °C. The structural ordering of CDC with increasing synthesis temperature affects also its oxidation resistance as shown by thermo gravimetric analysis.