Abstract
Direct reaction of precursors with the products of detonation remains an underexplored area in the ever-growing body of detonation synthesis literature. This study demonstrated the synthesis of silicon carbide during detonation by reaction of elemental silicon with carbon products formed from detonation of RDX/TNT mixtures. Continuum scale simulation of the detonation showed that energy transfer by the detonation wave was completed within 2–9 μs depending on location of measurement within the detonating explosive charge. The simulated environment in the detonation product flow beyond the Chapman-Jouguet condition where pressure approaches 27 GPa and temperatures reach 3300 K was thermodynamically suitable for cubic silicon carbide formation. Carbon and added elemental silicon in the detonation products remained chemically reactive up to 500 ns after the detonation wave passage, which indicated that the carbon-containing products of detonation could participate in silicon carbide synthesis provided sufficient carbon-silicon interaction. Controlled detonation of an RDX/TNT charge loaded with 3.2 wt% elemental silicon conducted in argon environment lead to formation of ∼3.1 wt% β-SiC in the condensed detonation products. Other condensed detonation products included primarily amorphous silica and carbon in addition to residual silicon. These results show that the energized detonation products of conventional high explosives can be used as precursors in detonation synthesis of ceramic nanomaterials.
Recommended Citation
M. J. Langenderfer et al., "Detonation Synthesis of Nanoscale Silicon Carbide from Elemental Silicon," Ceramics International, vol. 48, no. 4, pp. 4456 - 4463, Elsevier, Feb 2022.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2021.10.231
Department(s)
Materials Science and Engineering
Second Department
Mining Engineering
Keywords and Phrases
A. Powders: Chemical preparation; B. Electron microscopy; D. SiC; Detonation
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
0272-8842
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Final Version
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2023 Elsevier, All rights reserved.
Publication Date
15 Feb 2022
Comments
Army Research Office, Grant W911NF-18-1-0155