Oxidation of the silicon carbide surface in Watts' plating bath

An important problem in metal–matrix composite production by electrochemical co‐deposition of SiC particles with nickel is the large variation of the SiC concentration in the composite. One of the possible reasons is the change of SiC surface properties due to its oxidation during contact with the plating bath. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy was applied to study the surface oxidation of the [0001] basal plane of α‐SiC crystals contacted with Watts' plating bath at 55°C. It was shown that the growth of silica at the surface is preceded by the formation of a silicon oxycarbide species (SiO x C y ). The formation of graphite‐type carbon at the surface was also observed. The equivalent layer thickness of the main species at the oxidized surface was calculated.