Xiaozhou Wang

Preparation, structural evolution, and performance of heat-resistant organosilicon polymer adhesives for joining SiC ceramics

ABSTRACT There is an urgent need for heat-resistant adhesives with high bonding strength in order to able to fabricate large and complex SiC components for aeronautical and astronautical applications. In this study, heat-resistant organic adhesives prepared using an organosilicon polymer and inorganic additives (B4C and SiO2) were used successfully to bond SiC ceramics. The prepared adhesives were characterised through shear strength tests as well as using thermogravimetry-differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-diffraction analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. The adhesives exhibited high room-temperature shear strengths (greater than 15 MPa) after being subjected to heat treatments at 200–1200°C. Further, the high-temperature shear strengths of the adhesives at 200, 400, 600, 800, and 1000°C were 10.5, 10.1, 7.7, 8.6, and 8.4 MPa, respectively. The high performance of the adhesives indicated that they should be suitable for joining SiC-based materials for use in high-temperature applications.

Preparation and characterization of near-stoichiometric silicon carbon fibres

Near-stoichiometric SiC fibres (CVC-S fibres) were successfully prepared by pyrolysing chemical-vapour-cured polycarbosilane fibres under hydrogen and subsequent heat treatment in inert atmosphere at 1500 °C. The composition and properties of the obtained fibres were determined by Auger electron spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, tensile strength testing, and X-ray diffraction analysis. The results reveal that the CVC-S fibres with C/Si of 1.06 and O of 1.11 wt% have high tensile strength (2.6 GPa), high tensile modulus (321 GPa), and a highly crystalline structure (crystallite size, ∼14 nm.) In addition, the high-temperature behaviour of the CVC-S fibre was also investigated via heat treatment in argon and air at different temperatures. In particular, the fibres retain ∼2.2 GPa of their original strength after heating at 1600 °C for 1 h under argon. When argon was replaced by air, the tensile strength of the fibres could still be maintained at ∼1.1 GPa after annealing at 1400 °C. The more economical and practical approach along with the excellent performance of the obtained fibres render the CVC-S fibres promising materials for high-temperature applications.