Prefabrication of SiC whiskers through induction of carbon fiber

A new way to prepare SiC whiskers through the induction of carbon fiber was suggested. With the processing steps of opening furnace firstly and then shutting it, rice hall, as the only raw material, was carbonified to get excess quantity of Si in rice hull. After a certain catalyzer was added, SiC whiskers were prepared by means of the induction of carbon fiber. The component and morphology of the whisker were analyzed by XRD, SEM and TEM. The results reveal that the diameters of the whiskers range in 0.5-2 μm and their lengths in 100-500 μm. The whiskers are straight β-SiC crystals with smooth surface. The whisker is homogeneous and its productivity is 100%. Two kinds of formation mechanisms, both VLS mechanism and vapor formation mechanism, are involved during the growth of the whiskers. But the vapor formation mechanism relatively plays a key role.