Densification and properties of AN ceramic bonded carbon

To obtain light and tough materials with high thermal conductivity, AlN ceramic bonded carbon (AlN/CBC) composites were fabricated at temperatures from 1600 to 1900 degrees C in a short period of 5 min by the spark plasma sintering technique. All AlN/CBCs (20 vol% AlN) have unique microstructures containing carbon particles of 15 mu m in average size and continuous AlN boundary layers of 0.5-3 mu m in thickness. With an increase in sintering temperature, AlN grains grow and anchor into carbon particles, resulting in the formation of a tight bonding layer. The AlN/CBC sintered at 1900 degrees C exhibited a light weight (2.34 g/cm(3)), high bending strength (100 MPa), and high thermal conductivity (170 W/mK). (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.