Effect of Impurities on Sic Whisker Morphology

Thermal decomposition of polymeric organosilicon, as precursor to Sic whiskers, in the presence of impurities such as alkali and alkaline‐earth metals and aluminum resulted in glass beads or droplets on the β‐Sic whiskers. Semiquantitative analysis of typical whiskers and whiskers with glass beads were performed using a transmission electron microscope equipped with an energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectrometer and a scanning transmission electron microscope equipped with an electron energy loss spectrometer. The major impurities identified were correlated with the processing method employed