Thermochemistry and Kinetics

Abstract

Self-propagating high-temperature synthesis ({SHS}), also called combustion synthesis, is a novel and simple method for making certain advanced ceramic and intermetallic materials (Merzhanov, 1993; Pampuch, Stobierski and Lis, 1994). This method has received considerable attention as an alternative to conventional furnace technology. The principal concept of this technique is that, once initiated, a highly exothermic reaction can become self-sustaining and will propagate through the reactant mixture in the form of a combustion wave. For this to happen, a chemical reaction must have a relatively high activation energy and must also generate a sufficient amount of heat. Synthesis of refractory high-temperature materials (e.g. borides, carbides, nitrides and silicides) from elemental constituents exhibits both of the characteristics mentioned above.