Abstract

The thickness of the intergranular films in Si3N4 densified with lanthanide oxides has been systematically investigated using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Four lanthanide oxides-La2O3, Nd2O3, Gd2O3, and Yb2O3-as well as Y2O3 are chosen so that the results will reflect the overall trend in the effect of the lanthanide utilized. The film thicknesses increase with increasing ionic radius of the lanthanide. In addition, Si3N4 particles flocculated into isolated clusters in the lanthanide-based glasses are also characteristically separated by an amorphous film whose thickness is similar to that in the comparable polycrystalline ceramics, demonstrating that the film thickness is dictated entirely by the composition and not by the amount of the glass phase present.