Structure of diamond–silicon carbide nanocomposites as a function of sintering temperature at 8 GPa

Nanosize diamond–silicon carbide composites have been sintered at high temperatures and a fixed pressure of about 8 GPa. Crystallite size, densities of stacking faults and dislocations in diamond and silicon carbide crystallites are determined by X-ray diffraction profile analysis. It has been shown that crystallite sizes increase while population of stacking faults and dislocations decrease with temperature increasing from 1820 °C to 2320 °C. These conclusions indicate that to produce composites with small residual stresses the sintering process should be conducted at the highest possible temperatures.