Highly Thermal Conductive Silicon Carbide Ceramics Matrix Composites for Thermal Management: a Review

doi:10.15541/jim20220640

Abstract

Abstract:

Silicon carbide ceramic matrix composites have been widely used in aerospace, friction brake, fusion fields and so on, and become advanced high-temperature structural and functional composites, due to their high specific strength and specific modulus, excellent ablation and oxidation resistance, and high conductivity and good thermal shock resistance. This paper reviews the latest research progress in preparation and property of silicon carbide ceramics matrix composites (CMCs) with high thermal conductivity. Researchers have improved the thermal conductivity of silicon carbide CMCs, including by introducing highly thermal conductive phases for reinforcing heat transport, such as diamond powders, and mesophase pitch-based carbon fibers (MPCF), by optimizing the interface between pyrolytic carbon (PyC) and silicon carbide matrix for reducing interfacial thermal resistance, by heat-treating for obtaining silicon carbide matrix with higher crystallinity and better thermal conductivity, and by designing preform structure for establishing continuous thermal conduction path. Meanwhile, research interests on silicon carbide CMCs are to explore new preparation with high efficiency and low cost through optimising their influencing factors, and to obtain isotropic highly thermal conductivity with dimensional stability and physical properties through deep understanding their thermal conductive mechanism, and flexible method based on the structure-activity relationship.

Key words: thermal management, high thermal conductivity, silicon carbide, composite, review

CLC Number:

TB332

CHEN Qiang, BAI Shuxin, YE Yicong. Highly Thermal Conductive Silicon Carbide Ceramics Matrix Composites for Thermal Management: a Review[J]. Journal of Inorganic Materials, 2023, 38(6): 634-646.

Figures/Tables 15

Table 1 Properties and products of silicon carbide based fibers[21]

Producer	Brand	Modulus/GPa	Strength/MPa	Density/(g·cm^-3)	Diameter/μm	TC/(W·m^-1·K^-1)
Nicalon	NL202	220	3000	2.55	14	2.97
	Hi-Nicalon	270	2800	2.74	12	7.77
	Hi-Nicalon-S	420	2600	3.05	12	18.4
Tyranno	Lox M	187	3300	2.48	11	1.4
	ZMI	200	3400	2.48	11	2.5
	SA	380	2800	3.10	10/7.5	65
Sylramic	Sylramic	400	2800	3.05	10	40-45
Sylramic	Sylramic-iBN	400	3200	3.10	10	>46
KD^[33]	KD-A	170	2100	2.43	12.3	-
	KD-B	300	3000	2.76	11.2
	KD-C	320	2800	2.87	11.1

Fig. 1 Microstructures and thermal conductivities of Si-diamond-SiC composites with different diamond volume contents[31] (a) Si-20% diamond (sintered at 1523 K); (b) Si-60% diamond (sintered at 1643 K); (c) Fracture surface of (b); (d) EDX of(c); (e) XRD patterns of (a, b); (f) Experimental and theoretical thermal conductivity of Si-diamond-SiC composites

Fig. 2 Microstructures and thermal conductivities of diamond/SiC composites with different diamond volume contents[32] (a) RBSD1; (b) RBSD2; (c) RBSD3; (d) RBSD4; (e) Diamond/SiC interface; (f) Graphite interlayer in diamond/SiC interfacial region; (g) TEM image of diamond/SiC interfacial region in post-annealing RBSD; (h) Thermal conductivities of RBSDs before and after high temperature annealing

Table 2 Properties and products of pitch based carbon fibers[42-43]

Producer	Brand	Modulus/GPa	Strength/MPa	Density/(g·cm^-3)	Diameter/μm	TC/(W·m^-1·K^-1)
UCC	P75	517	2100	2.00	10	185
	P100	759	2410	2.15	10	520
	P-120	828	2410	2.18	10	640
Mitsubishi	K-1100	931	3100	2.2	10	1000
	K13D2U	935	3700	2.21	10	800
	K13C2U	900	3800	2.2	10	620
	K63B12	860	2600	2.15	10	400
Nippon	Granoc	920	3530	2.19	7	600
	YS-95A	920	3530	2.19	7	600
	Granoc	880	3530	2.18	7	500
	YS-90A	880	3530	2.18	7	500
NOCVARB	NM6030-15	≥550	≥1500	≥2.1	-	≥250
	NM9050-20	≥850	≥2000	≥2.15	-	≥450
	NM9080-20	≥850	≥2000	≥2.15	-	≥750
	NMA080-25	≥950	≥2500	≥2.15	-	≥750
TIANCE-TECH	TC-HC-600-S	750	2300	2.20	13	600
ECO	-	500-900	2500-3500	2.2	8-12	500-800
TOYI-CARBEN	TYG-1	800	2300	2.2	12	600
TOYI-CARBEN	TYG-2	900	2500	2.2	12	800

Fig. 3 Diagram of fabrication and microstructure of the 3D HTC C/C-SiC composite[25] (a) Fabrication process of 3D HTC C/C-SiC; (b-f) Microstructures of the 3D HTC C/C-SiC composite; (g) Interface energy spectrum diagram of the 3D HTC C/C-SiC; (h) Ablation tests and (i) temperature curves of the C/C-SiC

Fig. 4 Surface topographies of the as-ablated C/C-SiC[47] (a) Image of the as-ablated C/C-SiC; (b-d) Magnification images of (b) middle region, (c) area “A” and (d) naked fibers in the center region of (a)

Fig. 5 Flow diagram of preparation process of the C/C-SiC composite[48]

Fig. 6 Microstructures of SiC fiber with electrodeposited CNTs and thermophysical properties of SiCf/SiC compersites[57] (a) Surface of SiC fibers with CNTs; (b) Surface of SiC fibers without CNTs; (c) Interface between CNTs and PyC; (d) TEM image of PyC deposited on CNTs; (e, f) HRTEM images of PyC deposited on (e) SiC fibers and (f) CNTs; (g) Bending strength and (h) thermal conductivity of SiC/SiC composites with different interfaces

Fig. 7 Thermal conductivities of Cpf/SiC composites (a) before and (b) after heat-treatment(1600 ℃-2 h)[48]

Fig. 8 Characterization of diamond/SiC interfacial zone[58] (a) TEM image of diamond and SiC separated by a layer of graphite with lighter contrast; (b) HRTEM image of the rectangular region in (a) showing the graphite (G) and diamond (D) zones; (c-e) TEM and HRTEM images of (c, d) graphite layer and (e) reaction formed nano-crystalline SiC with stacking faults; (f) TEM image of Al4C3 formed adjacent to the interface; (g) HRTEM image from the rectangular region in (f); (h) ADF STEM of diamond/SiC interfacial area in (f)

Fig. 9 Microstructures and thermal conductivities of SiCf/SiC composites with different heat-treatment[59] (a) SiC matrix without heat-treatment; (b) SiC matrix with 1700 ℃-2 h heat-treatment; (c) SiC matrix with 1900 ℃-2 h heat-treatment; (d-f) TEM images of SiC matrix corresponding to (a-c); (g) Thermal conductivity of 2D SiCf/SiC after different heat-treatments; (h) Full width at half maximum of (111) diffraction crystal plane after different heat-treatments

Fig. 10 Design of heat conductive channels of Cf/SiC with well-designed graphene[61]

Fig. 11 Structural design of three-dimensional-linked Cf/SiC with micro-pipelines[62]

Fig. 12 Low and high magnification SEM images of (a, b) ECNT-CF and (c, d) VACNT-CF fabrics with a growth duration of 30 min[52]

Fig. 13 Structure design of the Cf/SiC with aligned carbon nanotube[63]

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