Low-melting-point
silicon–boron system alloys are promising
for low-temperature reactive melt infiltration to reduce high-temperature
damage to silicon carbide fibers during the densification of SiC/SiC
composites. Meanwhile, the oxidation resistance of the alloys will
have a large impact on the intrinsic oxidation resistance of the composite.
Herein, three alloys, Si-14.88B-7Mo, Si-14.88B-7Ti, and Si-14.88B-7Cr,
were fabricated to investigate the oxidation behavior in air at 1000–1400
°C. The results showed that the oxidation weight gains of the
Si-B-Mo alloy after oxidation at 1400 °C for 100 h were 0.9 mg/cm
–2
, which were only 50 and 1.5% of those of Si-B-Ti
and Si-B-Cr alloys, respectively. The excellent oxidation resistance
of Si-B-Mo alloys at 1000–1400 °C was attributed to the
formation of glassy-surface layers and the dense internal oxide layer.
The dense oxide layer and the low solubility of Mo ions in SiO
2
inhibit the volatilization of MoO
3
and the oxidation
reaction, reducing the oxidation rate of the Si-B-Mo alloy. The difference
in the coefficients of thermal expansion for SiO
2
and TiO
2
led to penetrating cracks in the oxide layer of the Si-B-Ti
alloy during cooling, thereby reducing the oxidation resistance. In
addition, the rate of volatilization of Cr
2
O
3
as CrO
3
in an oxidation atmosphere above 1200 °C
increased significantly in the Si-B-Cr alloy. The simultaneous volatilization
of B
2
O
3
and CrO
3
resulted in the
formation of loose oxide layers in the CrB
2
region of the
Si-B-Cr alloy, leading to severe oxidation.