Oxidation resistance improvement of carbon fiber nonwoven fabrics through SiC coating technology

Abstract

The oxidation resistance of carbon fiber (CF) was enhanced by SiC coating layer. A hybrid sol？gel approach and chemical vapor reaction (CVR) were utilized to produce coating layer. SiO2 was applied to the CF surface, after which SiOx and SiH4 vapor were added via CVR method to intensify SiC formation and bonding. Interfacial bonding was further reinforced by the addition of graphene oxide (GO) prior to heat treatment. Three different samples were generated, and the gas liberated upon conversion to SiC was evaluated to determine relationships with microstructure. The amount of gas released differed depending on the chemical used in the sol？gel, and the mechanism of SiC formation under different conditions was also distinct. The results of a flame test indicated approximately 20% improvement in oxidation resistance compared to CF. The proposed SiC coating can circumvent the restricted process method that necessitates specialized equipment to manufacture high-quality CF with improved oxidation resistance.