This thesis describes the spark plasma sintering of silicon carbide and silicon carbide with multi-walled carbon nanotubes. The work was completed to investigate the processing, microstructure, and properties of such materials. Various ceramic engineering techniques aided this investigation including powder processing, sintering, microscopy, spectroscopy, and mechanical testing. These steps were completed in order acquire knowledge about the influences of various parameters on the microstructure and properties of the materials. The resulting insight provided conclusions for how to synthesize a material that may allow carbon nanotubes to positively reinforce a silicon carbide matrix, particularly improving the fracture toughness. In this work, the spark plasma sintering of both silicon carbide and silicon carbide with multi-walled carbon nanotubes did not lead to fully density. The evidence of pores negatively influenced the material properties. The addition of the multi-walled carbon nanotubes required additional processing in attempt to disperse the reinforcement, but ultimately caused low density and did not improve density, strength, or fracture toughness. Alternative methods for dispersing multi-walled carbon nanotubes in a silicon carbide matrix must be developed.
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Processing, microstructure, and properties of carbon nanotube and silicon carbide composites