Mechanism Analysis of Synthesizing Fe-Si3N4 by Flash-Combusting FeSi75

Abstract

It is necessary to know the synthesis mechanism of Fe-Si3N4 by flash-combusting FeSi75 in order to control the phase composition and microstructure of Fe-Si3N4 composites. In this paper, Fe-Si3N4 and starting material FeSi75 were analyzed with XRD, SEM and EDS. The results show that Fe-Si3N4 synthesized by flash-combusting FeSi75 (≤0.074 mm) is composed of β-Si3N4, α-Si3N4, FexSi, and SiO2, in which β-Si3N4 and α-Si3N4 are from the nitridation of metal silicon and part of the silicon in ξ phase while FexSi is from the nitridation of ξ phase; during the nitridation of ξ phase, Si content declines gradually, when Fe: Si is close to 3, the nitriding reaction tends to balance; the loose accumulation of nitriding products results in the slow heat release, which makes α-Si3N4 transform to β-Si3N4 and β-Si3N4 grow further to form rod-like β-Si3N4 crystals of high slenderness ratios; the rapid quenching of nitriding products helps to keep the proportion between α-Si3N4 and β-Si3N4 small particles, and to reduce the crystallization of rod-like β-Si3N4; The grain size and distribution of FexSi in Fe-Si3N4 are related to the particle size and distribution of ξ phase in the starting material.