Combustion synthesis of single‐phase Al 4 SiC 4 powder with assistance of induction heating

Ternary aluminum silicon carbide Al 4 SiC 4 is a promising material not only in refractory applications, but also in electronics and photocatalysis. However, synthesis of Al 4 SiC 4 requires high‐temperature heat treatment for several hours. In this work, we describe a new, fast and effective method to synthesize single‐phase Al 4 SiC 4 powder. Our method is based on combustion synthesis reaction of Al, Si and C initiated under high‐frequency induction heating. Heating program was optimized to prevent separation of melted aluminum and provide uniform initiation, propagation and completion of the reaction. As a result, pure‐phase Al 4 SiC 4 powder was synthesized in few minutes. Temperature profile of a sample measured during heating process showed appearance of two exothermic peaks, thus confirming propagation of a two‐step combustion reaction. Induction heating provided capability to finely and readily control external heating rate, which is considered to be one of the key factors to reach high‐purity Al 4 SiC 4 .