Three dicotyledonous woods of local origin (mango (Mangifera indica), jackfruit (Artocarpus integrifolia) and teak (Tectona grandis)) were transformed by pyrolysis into carbonaceous preforms and subsequently converted into microcellular Si/SiC ceramics by liquid Si-infiltration under vacuum. The pyrolized mango, jackfruit and teak were characterized in terms of pyrolysis weight loss, shrinkages, bulk density and microstructures. The end ceramics were found to be 91-98% dense with respect to theoretical densities (T.D) with porosities in the range of 0.1-4.8%. SEM (in back scattered electron (BSE) mode) imaging confirmed the preservation of microcellular tissue anatomy of the precursor wood structure in the morphologies of the final ceramics. The microcellular Si/SiC ceramics from mango, jackfruit and teak exhibited excellent oxidation resistance during heating to 1350 degrees C in flowing air, showing a marginal weight gain at the highest temperature. Si/SiC-mango was also characterized in terms of flexural strength, Young's modulus and hardness. These biostructural microcellular Si/SiC ceramics possess application potential in various structural ceramic sectors (e.g. mechanical pump seals, wear inserts, kiln support structures, heat exchangers etc).
