Processing and characterization of nanoparticle and carbon nanotube reinforced continuous fiber ceramic nanocomposites by preceramic polymer pyrolysis

Abstract

In this work, two types of Continuous Fiber Ceramic Composites (CFCCs) were manufactured using preceramic polymer pyrolysis (PIP) method for mechanical testing. Nicalon™ ceramic grade silicon carbide fiber was used as the reinforcements, and KiON CERASET® preceramic polymer was used as the matrix in this study. Further, the effects of nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, and the combination of the two, as CFCC reinforcements, compared to their base CFCCs on processing and flexural mechanical performance of Nicalon/KiON CERASET® CFCCs by PIP method have been investigated. Nicalon™ ceramic fiber was used as the primary fabric for all four types of CFCCs in this work. KiON CERASET® preceramic polymer was mixed with nano size fillers in the presence of a surfactant agent to give a good dispersion of the particles and was used as the nano-matrix. Initial work from nanoparticle reinforced CFCCs led to further investigations on the effects of using carbon nanotubes, as well as their use in conjuction with nanoparticles, on mechanical performance of continuous fiber ceramic nanocomposites. Yttrium oxide nanoparticles with an average size of 27 nm were used as the inclusion with weight percentage of 15%. Carbon nanotubes were grown directly on the surface of Nicalon™ fabric via in-house chemical vapor deposition process. Characterization analysis and dispersion studies of the samples using scanning electron microscopy were conducted. Four-point bending test was also conducted to evaluate the flexural mechanical performance of the ceramic nanocomposites samples at room temperature. Combination of nanoparticle and carbon nanotube reinforced CFCCs, consistently showed significant improvement in flexural strength and toughness compared to their counterparts without nanomaterial reinforcement or with only one type of nano-reinforcement.