Synthesis of β-Si3N4 whiskers by SHS

This paper presents the results of SHS of β-Si3N4 whiskers from silicon powders with α-Si3N4 as diluents under high nitrogen pressure. The effect of the addition of different amounts of Y2O3 on β-Si3N4 whisker synthesis has been investigated in detail. The results revealed that Y2O3 additive had a marked effect on the growth of β-Si3N4 whiskers compared that without additives. The optimum amount of Y2O3 addition is from 2.4 to 4.8 wt.%.