Synthesis and Structural Analysis of Silicon Carbide from Silica Rice Husk and Activated Carbon Using Solid-State Reaction

Synthesis of Silicon Carbide (SiC) has been performed using a solid-state reaction method. We used silica and activated carbon as raw materials. The silica was synthesized from silica rice husk using an alkali extraction and a sol-gel method. The purified silica was then mixed with the activated carbon at the same ratio, homogenized, and then cold pressed into pellets by adding polyvinyl alcohol to glue them perfectly. The pellets were then sintered in a vacuum of a high-temperature furnace in an inert arc-furnace at 1200, 1300, and 1400 °C for 6 hours. The samples were characterized for their particle size, surface area, phase composition, microstructure, and resistivity. The XRD data analysis showed that the samples are dominated by the SiC phase in the form of 3C-SiC and 6H-SiC, CO (Carbon (II) oxide), and SiO₂ phases. The weight fractions of SiC samples were respectively fallen to 68, 98, and 69% for 1200, 1300 and 1400 °C sintering temperatures.