Abstract
The water vapor oxidation behavior below 1000°C for porous silicon carbide ceramics with and without additive alumina was investigated. The relationship between the microstructure of porous SiC and vapor oxidation was examined. The varied microstructures, such as pore size and particle size were found to affect the water vapor oxidation behavior of porous SiC. The porous SiC without alumina showed a good stability for water vapor. This was due to the microstructure of large particles and pores in the undoped SiC. In contrast, the porous SiC with alumina after vapor oxidation showed the microstructural changes such as the increase of pore size and particle size, and the disappearance of fine particles, because the porous SiC with alumina was composed of fine particles and small pores.
