Silicon carbide

31.01.2025

Silicon carbide

Why in the news?                        

Researchers at IIT-Madras have tasted success in extracting silicon carbide from (simulated) moon soil.

About Silicon carbide:

• It is a synthetically produced crystalline compound of silicon and carbon.
• Its chemical formula is SiC and it is the most widely used non-oxide ceramic.
• It was discovered by the American inventor Edward G. Acheson in 1891.

Properties of the Silicon carbide:

• It is the hardest ceramic material and has excellent thermal conductivity but low thermal expansion.
• It has excellent mechanical properties and excellent resistance to wear and oxidation.
• It is also classed as a semiconductor, having an electrical conductivity between that of metals and insulating materials.

Applications of the Silicon carbide:

• Its primary application is as an abrasive because of its high hardness, which is surpassed only by diamond, cubic boron nitride, and boron carbide.
• It is a promising ceramic material with excellent thermo mechanical characteristics.
• It is used in refractory linings and heating elements for industrial furnaces, in wear-resistant parts for pumps and rocket engines.
• It is also used in semiconducting substrates for light-emitting diodes.

                                                                Source: The Hindu businessline

Consider the following statements regarding Silicon carbide:

Statement-I: It is a synthetically produced crystalline compound of silicon and carbon.

Statement-I I It is the hardest ceramic material and has poor thermal conductivity.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

A.Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I.

B.Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I.

C.Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect.

D.Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct.

Answer C