Carbothermal reduction synthesis of near-stoichiometric ZrC whiskers via V-L-S and S-L-S growth mechanism

Near-stoichiometric zirconi um carbide (ZrC) whiskers, which were efficiently synthesized from the mixture of ZrO₂, C, Ni and NaF by carbothermal reduction at 1500 °C in Ar atmosphere, are about 1 μm in diameter and 30–50 μm in length with smooth surfaces. Near-stoichiometric ZrC whiskers were prepared by regulating the concentration of precursors (carbon black, catalyst Ni), subsequently vapor-liquid-solid (V-L-S) and solid-liquid-solid (S-L-S) growth mechanisms of ZrC whiskers were clearly revealed and related models were established.