Silicon carbide rubbing bricks, denoted by the chemical formula SiC, is a solid crystalline mineral. This compound is used in industry as a semiconductor and ceramic, which is usually called carborundum. Silicon carbide occurs naturally in a very rare mineral called moissanite. Pure silicon carbides appear as colorless and transparent crystals. When impurities such as nitrogen are added to them, silicon carbide crystals appear green or blue to the surface of the impurity. Silicon carbide is mostly used for its high hardness and strength, although its combined ceramic and semiconducting properties make it an excellent choice for making fast-response, high-voltage, and high-temperature devices. For more information in this regard, follow us in the article in Jahan Chemi Physik magazine. Silicon carbide, also known as Carborundum, is a combination of silicon and carbon. Silicon carbide is a semiconductor material that is used as an emerging material for making semiconductor devices. This compound was discovered by Edward Acheson in 1891 and is actually one of the most important industrial ceramic materials discovered and played a major role in the industrial revolution and is still widely used as an additive for abrasive materials and the production of steel and structural ceramics. Dr. Edward Goodrich Acheson was a scientist who once worked with Thomas Edison. At first, he was trying to make synthetic diamonds, but he accidentally synthesized silicon carbide. Diamonds could theoretically be produced in the laboratory, so he decided to synthesize them using carbon-based materials. In his experiment, he attached lead metal from a dynamo to a piping container filled with powdered clay and coke. When this mixture was exposed to high temperatures, no diamonds were produced, but bright spots were noticed at the end of the lead. He took the lead and dragged it over a glass plate, and the diamond-like substance cut through the glass. What he managed to create was the first man-made material that was hard enough to cut glass. Silicon Carbide is in a packed structure with close junctions. The atoms in this structure are arranged in such a way that two tetragons containing four carbon and four silicon atoms are connected to a central Si and C atom. These quadrilaterals are connected at their corners and stacked to create polar structures. In fact, silicon carbide is composed of light elements, silicon (Si) and carbon (C). Its main building block is a crystal of four carbon atoms that forms a tetrahedron and is covalently connected to a silicon atom in the center. SiC also exhibits polymorphism as it exists in different phases and crystal structures.
- silicon carbide properties
As we said, this compound is present in the mineral moissanite, but it is rarely found in nature. Therefore, it is produced synthetically by a synthetic technique called the Acheson method, named after its inventor, Edward J. Acheson. In this process, pure silica (SiO2) or quartz sand and finely ground petroleum coke (carbon) are mixed in an electric resistance furnace and heated to a high temperature of about 1700 to 2500 degrees Celsius. Here is the main chemical reaction leading to the formation of -SiC: Silicon carbide forms a cylindrical ingot around the core and forms layers of ɑ-SiC, β-SiC and a non-reactive material on the outside. ɑ-SiC is the highest grade with a coarse crystal structure and β-SiC is the metallurgical grade. Based on the quality of raw materials, SiC can be produced in green or black. The SiC ingots are then processed for other applications.
- why silicon carbide
Typically, silicon carbide is produced using the Acheson process, which involves heating silica sand and carbon to high temperatures in an Acheson graphite furnace. This composition can be formed in the form of a fine powder or a bonded mass, which must be crushed and ground before being used as a raw material for the powder. When silicon carbide is powdered, the grains of the compound can be bonded together through firing to form a very useful engineering ceramic that has a wide range of applications in the manufacturing industry. The refractive index of silicon carbide is higher than that of diamond and it has high thermal conductivity and low coefficient of thermal expansion. This combination with properties can withstand thermal shock and creates outstanding properties that are useful for many industries. It is also a semiconductor and has a wide range of applications thanks to its electrical properties. It is also widely used due to its high hardness and high resistance to corrosion. Silicon carbide has many applications in various industries. Its physical hardness makes it ideal for use in abrasive machining processes such as grinding, turning, sand blasting and water jet cutting. The resistance of this material to very high temperature without breaking and distortion has made it a suitable material for making ceramic brake discs of sports cars. This compound is also used in bulletproof vests and as a sealing material to insulate pump shafts that operate at high speeds. The high thermal conductivity of silicon carbide is the most important advantage that enables this material to dissipate the frictional heat generated in a rubbing interface.
- is silicon carbide toxic
Silicon carbide, silicon carbide (in English: Silicon carbide) or carborundum (in English: carborundum) with the chemical formula SiC, is one of the refractory and semi-transparent materials that does not occur raw in nature. This substance is made artificially (synthesized). It is used in the production of refractory products and abrasives. Synthetic silicon carbide powder has been mass-produced since 1893 for use as an abrasive. Silicon carbide powder can be gun-bonded to make very hard ceramics that are used in applications that require high tolerances, such as car brakes, car clutches and bulletproof vest ceramic plates. Large-scale production is attributed to Edward Goodrich Acheson in 1890. [3] Acheson was trying to make synthetic diamonds by heating a mixture of clay (aluminum silicate) and powdered coke (carbon) in an iron bowl. He called the forming blue crystals carborundum and believed that it was a new combination of carbon and aluminum similar to corundum. In 1893, Ferdinand Henri Moissan discovered the naturally occurring rare mineral SiC while examining rock samples found in the Canyon Diablo meteorite in Arizona. This mineral was named moissanite in his honor. Moissan also synthesized SiC through several routes, including dissolving carbon in molten silicon, melting a mixture of calcium carbide and silica, and by reducing silica with carbon in an electric furnace.