Silicon Carbide
30-01-2025
09:20 AM
1 min read

Silicon Carbide Latest News
Researchers at IIT-Madras have tasted success in extracting silicon carbide from (simulated) moon soil.

About Silicon Carbide
- It is a synthetically produced crystalline compound of silicon and carbon.
- Its chemical formula is SiC and it is the most widely used non-oxide ceramic.
- It was discovered by the American inventor Edward G. Acheson in 1891.
Properties of Silicon Carbide
- It is the hardest ceramic material and has excellent thermal conductivity, low thermal expansion.
- It has excellent mechanical properties, and excellent resistance to wear and oxidation.
- It is also classed as a semiconductor, having an electrical conductivity between that of metals and insulating materials.
Applications of Silicon Carbide
- Its primary application is as an abrasive because of its high hardness, which is surpassed only by diamond, cubic boron nitride, and boron carbide.
- It is a promising ceramic material with excellent thermo mechanical characteristics.
- It is used in refractory linings and heating elements for industrial furnaces, in wear-resistant parts for pumps and rocket engines.
- It is used in semiconducting substrates for light-emitting diodes.
Silicon Carbide FAQs
Q1: What is silicon carbide used for?
Ans: Silicon carbide is used as an abrasive, as well as a semiconductor and diamond simulant of gem quality.
Q2: What is the common name for silicon carbide?
Ans: Carborundum
Q3: When was silicon carbide invented?
Ans: Silicon carbide was discovered by the American inventor Edward G. Acheson in 1891.
Q4: What is the benefit of silicon carbide?
Ans: Higher temperature capability,
Q5: Why is silicon carbide better than silicon?
Ans: SiC has a much higher breakdown electric field compared to silicon.
Source: THBL