LAUSR

Reaction bonding is a proven technology for the fabrication of ceramic composites. The fabrication temperature of this technique is relatively low and is around 1500 °C for SiC/Si composites [1]. Reaction bonded silicon carbide (RBSC) composites have been extensively used in nuclear reactor components [2], heat exchangers [3] and micro electro-mechanical systems [4] because of their outstanding stiffness, excellent thermal conductivity, low thermal expansion, light weight and high environmental stability [5]. The remarkable properties of RBSC are strongly related to its microstructures. For example, Marshall et al. [6] reported that the SiC content and minor phases have significant impact on both thermal and mechanical properties. While the SiC/SiC interface in RBSC is an important structural feature associated with the characteristic core-rim structure and material properties, there has been limited investigation on its evolution in literature [7]. Critical characterization of the SiC/SiC interfaces will therefore benefit the understanding of the microstructure in interfacial area including the formation of defects and the optimization of RBSC fabrication.