Effect of acid on the coating of boehmite onto silicon carbide particles in aqueous suspensions

It is shown that the addition of acid in aluminum alkoxide precursor gels i s critical to the success of coating aluminum oxide onto SIC particles. For aluminum sec-butoxide processed at 90 degrees C, the addition of acid diss olves the gel network and facilitates the coating of aluminum oxide on SiC. On the other hand, when the coating is performed at room temperature, even with the addition of acids, coating of aluminum oxide is not successful.