Structural Changes during Milling of Silicon Carbide

The kinetics of milling and structural changes during milling of commercial silicon carbide powder in a ball mill lined with hard alloy are studied. Data are provided for the specific surface, x-ray patterns, and infrared spectra. It is shown that milling kinetics are described best of all by an exponential relationship and that milling of silicon carbide powder is accompanied by changes in polytype composition. The x-ray patterns and infrared spectra obtained make it possible to assume that during milling the 15R polytype content in the powder composition decreases while the content of structures with less layering (the 4H polytype and β-SiC) increases; in this case the number of absorption bands in the infrared spectra decreases.