Effect of Diamond Phase Dispersion on the Properties of Diamond-SiC-Si Composites

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report (Previous Reviewer 1)

The introduction has been improved after modification.

Minor editing of English language may be required

Author Response

Thank you for the consideration of our paper. It was further improved, including the correction of some misprints. 

Reviewer 2 Report (Previous Reviewer 2)

I would not like to recommend this manuscript for publication because I do not agree with the authors' answer to my second question. The authors should at least make Raman, especially since Raman allows to perform mapping of the sample,  while X-ray diffraction collects the signal integrally.

Author Response

Mapping of the elemental composition of the studied samples was performed by X-ray microanalysis using an AZtec X – Act attachment for SEM installation and exemplarily shown in Fig. 9 for the sample 20. If necessary, we can additionally characterize the samples by Raman spectroscopy after the summer vacations.

Reviewer 3 Report (New Reviewer)

This paper describes the synthesis of diamond-SiC-Si composites by the reaction of diamond and silicon fits the scope of the journal ceramics

Author Response

Thank you for the consideration of our paper. 

Reviewer 4 Report (New Reviewer)

Interesting work that needs to be improved by adding to the text:

1. Indicate the commercial name and source of purchasing the input materials (diamond micro powders, DND).

2. Indicate the testing samples shape and size.

3. Is the installation in Figure 1 handmade or equipment made by a company?

4. How was measured the distribution of the fields in the resonator chamber (Figure 2)? What are the values of the electric and magnetic fields?

5. What means the word Diamant from Figure 4?

6. What means the word Diamand from Figure 6?

7. How was measured the Young modulus from Table 3 and Figure 7?

8. How was measured the sound speed from Table 3?

9. In the conclusion chapter please make correlations between the test results and show the influence of various factors. Make connections with similar results obtained by other researchers.

OK

Author Response

Thank you for a detailed consideration of our paper. 

1.Diamond powders AS and ASM are supplied by Intech Diamond Co., Russia and detonation diamond nanopowdes are provided by  Real-Dzerzhinsk, Ltd., Russia.

2.The  specimens for obtained in the form of cylinders with the diameter 30 mm and height 5 mm.

3,4.The microwave installation designed and assembled in our laboratory involved a resonance chamber based on a rectangular waveguide including a lower cross-section diaphragm from one end and a movable wall (plunger) from the opposite side. The energy is supplied along the longitudinal axis of the chamber. The resonance chamber is designed using the ANSYS software to provide the maximum coordination in the system generator – resonator – load. The electric and magnetic field were not measured, only the sample temperature was monitored and controlled.

5,6. It was a misprint, now corrected and written as "diamond".

7,8. The speed of sound was measured by a resonance method using a ZVUK-130 installation. The elasticity (Young’s) modulus was calculated according to the equation

                                 E = ρV²,

where V is the speed of sound and ρ is the material density.

9. The Conclusion is revised and significantly extended. 

All the revisions are highlighted in the manuscript. 

 

Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report (Previous Reviewer 2)

Paper can be recommended for publication

Reviewer 4 Report (New Reviewer)

All requirements have been met.

This manuscript is a resubmission of an earlier submission. The following is a list of the peer review reports and author responses from that submission.

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

The research is aimed at the composition optimization for diamond–SiC-Si composites, The lowest porosity and highest modulus of elasticity are observed after regulating the sizes and compositions of the raw materials. 

I think the Introduction can be improved, such as, what is the creativity of this work? and what are other research results for such compositions? 

 Minor editing of English language required

Reviewer 2 Report

Referee report on manuscript “Effect of diamond phase dispersion on the properties  of diamond-SiC-Si composites”

 

The article probably contains some new results that may be recommended for publication, but only after its major improvement.

1. the introduction is based on several old works from which the relevance of the work does not follow, its novelty is not clear and it is not clear what has been done in recent years. From the introduction, it is quite obvious that this work will be of no interest to anyone.

 

2. Fig. 5. It would be extremely interesting to see both Raman and luminescent measurements simultaneously as support for the presented data.
Indeed, this figure contains, as it were, information about the presence of 4 different components, but a detailed analysis has not been done. It is assumed that the presence of separate coinciding points already proves what the authors would like to claim.
But this is not at all obvious at this stage. Therefore, I wanted to see evidence of the presence of these 4 components from  some additional complementary measurements, for example, photoluminescence and Raman spectra measurements.