Fabrication and thermal conductivity of CeO2–Ce3Si2 composite

Abstract

Various compositions of CeO2–Ce3Si2 (0, 10, 30, 50, and 100 wt%Ce3Si2) composites were fabricated using conventional sintering and spark plasma sintering. Lower relative density, enhanced interdiffusion of oxygen and silicon, and silicide agglomerations from the congruent melting of Ce3Si2 at 1390 °C were only observed from conventionally-sintered pellets. Thermal conductivity of spark plasma sintered CeO2–Ce3Si2 composites was calculated from the measured thermal diffusivity, specific heat, and density, which exhibited dense (>90 %TD) and homogeneous microstructure. The composite with 50 wt%Ce3Si2 exhibited 55% higher thermal conductivity than CeO2 at 500 °C, and 81% higher at 1000 °C.

Keywords

• Cerium oxide
• Cerium silicide
• Composite
• Spark plasma sintering
• Thermal conductivity