Influence of thermal conditions on the combustion synthesis of Si2N2O phase

This work is a contribution to the study of Si{sub 2}N{sub 2}O synthesis via Self-Propagating High-temperature Synthesis (SHS). The elaboration of Si{sub 2}N{sub 2}O was carried out using two kinds of experimental equipments and differences both in reaction temperatures and in products compositions were evidenced. In order to determine the reaction mechanisms, several compositions and thermal conditions of the reactant mixture were studied. Considering our results, two kinds of reaction mechanisms for the combustion synthesis of Si{sub 2}N{sub 2}O could be suggested. Furthermore, the results previously reported in the literature have been explained in the light of this work. The SHS samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. Their quantitative compositions were determined by Rietveld refinement.