Synthesis of carbon fiber reinforced SiC aerogel composites with enhanced mechanical and antioxidant properties for high temperature insulation

High-temperature thermal-insulation aerogels with high mechanical strength and well oxidation resistance are critical for the thermal protect system (TPS) of aerospace vehicles. However, it is still challenging to achieve large-scale preparation of aerogels that integrate the above functions through...

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Main Authors: Chunxue Zheng, Jie Yu, Xinyang Li, Jingbo Duan, Zhulin Huang, Ming Li, Xiaoye Hu, Yue Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-05-01
Series:Journal of Materials Research and Technology
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2238785425009524
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author Chunxue Zheng
Jie Yu
Xinyang Li
Jingbo Duan
Zhulin Huang
Ming Li
Xiaoye Hu
Yue Li
author_facet Chunxue Zheng
Jie Yu
Xinyang Li
Jingbo Duan
Zhulin Huang
Ming Li
Xiaoye Hu
Yue Li
author_sort Chunxue Zheng
collection DOAJ
description High-temperature thermal-insulation aerogels with high mechanical strength and well oxidation resistance are critical for the thermal protect system (TPS) of aerospace vehicles. However, it is still challenging to achieve large-scale preparation of aerogels that integrate the above functions through a simple method. In this work, carbon fiber (CF) felts are introduced as a reinforcement and template to prepare silicon carbide nanowire (SiCnw) aerogel composites through a simple in-situ growth strategy. The high-strength CF as the skeleton endows high mechanical strength, and the in-situ grown SiCnw aerogels lead to good thermal insulation of the composites. More importantly, a dense SiC shell was also formed and tightly coated on the surface of CF (CF@SiC) during the in-situ growth process, which effectively protects the CF from oxidation, thus enhancing the high temperature oxidation resistance of the composites. As a result, the optimal CF@SiC/SiCnw aerogel composites possess a low thermal conductivity of only 0.056 W m−1 K−1 at room temperature. The back temperature of the 9 mm thick composites is only 151.9 °C after exposure to a butane flame at 1220 °C for 300 s, and it still maintains considerable thermal insulation and mechanical properties after the ablation. In addition, the machinability of the CF felts makes it easy to prepare the composites in various shapes and larger sizes. This work provides a simple and scalable strategy to synthesize reliable SiC-based aerogel composites for high-temperature thermal insulation applied in extreme environments.
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spelling doaj-art-37b3194458b24b1a8fb9d0c0caf05efa2025-08-20T02:17:41ZengElsevierJournal of Materials Research and Technology2238-78542025-05-01364547455610.1016/j.jmrt.2025.04.131Synthesis of carbon fiber reinforced SiC aerogel composites with enhanced mechanical and antioxidant properties for high temperature insulationChunxue Zheng0Jie Yu1Xinyang Li2Jingbo Duan3Zhulin Huang4Ming Li5Xiaoye Hu6Yue Li7Key Laboratory of Materials Physics and Anhui Key Laboratory of Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology, Institute of Solid State Physics, HFIPS, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, PR China; University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, PR ChinaKey Laboratory of Materials Physics and Anhui Key Laboratory of Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology, Institute of Solid State Physics, HFIPS, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, PR China; Corresponding author.Key Laboratory of Materials Physics and Anhui Key Laboratory of Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology, Institute of Solid State Physics, HFIPS, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, PR China; University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, PR ChinaKey Laboratory of Environmental Optics and Technology, Anhui Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, PR China; Corresponding author.Key Laboratory of Materials Physics and Anhui Key Laboratory of Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology, Institute of Solid State Physics, HFIPS, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, PR China; University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, PR ChinaKey Laboratory of Materials Physics and Anhui Key Laboratory of Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology, Institute of Solid State Physics, HFIPS, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, PR China; University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, PR ChinaKey Laboratory of Materials Physics and Anhui Key Laboratory of Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology, Institute of Solid State Physics, HFIPS, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, PR China; University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, PR China; Corresponding author. Key Laboratory of Materials Physics and Anhui Key Laboratory of Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology, Institute of Solid State Physics, HFIPS, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, PR China.Key Laboratory of Materials Physics and Anhui Key Laboratory of Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology, Institute of Solid State Physics, HFIPS, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, PR China; Tiangong University, Tianjin, 300387, PR ChinaHigh-temperature thermal-insulation aerogels with high mechanical strength and well oxidation resistance are critical for the thermal protect system (TPS) of aerospace vehicles. However, it is still challenging to achieve large-scale preparation of aerogels that integrate the above functions through a simple method. In this work, carbon fiber (CF) felts are introduced as a reinforcement and template to prepare silicon carbide nanowire (SiCnw) aerogel composites through a simple in-situ growth strategy. The high-strength CF as the skeleton endows high mechanical strength, and the in-situ grown SiCnw aerogels lead to good thermal insulation of the composites. More importantly, a dense SiC shell was also formed and tightly coated on the surface of CF (CF@SiC) during the in-situ growth process, which effectively protects the CF from oxidation, thus enhancing the high temperature oxidation resistance of the composites. As a result, the optimal CF@SiC/SiCnw aerogel composites possess a low thermal conductivity of only 0.056 W m−1 K−1 at room temperature. The back temperature of the 9 mm thick composites is only 151.9 °C after exposure to a butane flame at 1220 °C for 300 s, and it still maintains considerable thermal insulation and mechanical properties after the ablation. In addition, the machinability of the CF felts makes it easy to prepare the composites in various shapes and larger sizes. This work provides a simple and scalable strategy to synthesize reliable SiC-based aerogel composites for high-temperature thermal insulation applied in extreme environments.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2238785425009524Silicon carbide aerogelsCarbon fiber compositesMechanical strengthThermal insulationStacking faultsOxidation resistance
spellingShingle Chunxue Zheng
Jie Yu
Xinyang Li
Jingbo Duan
Zhulin Huang
Ming Li
Xiaoye Hu
Yue Li
Synthesis of carbon fiber reinforced SiC aerogel composites with enhanced mechanical and antioxidant properties for high temperature insulation
Journal of Materials Research and Technology
Silicon carbide aerogels
Carbon fiber composites
Mechanical strength
Thermal insulation
Stacking faults
Oxidation resistance
title Synthesis of carbon fiber reinforced SiC aerogel composites with enhanced mechanical and antioxidant properties for high temperature insulation
title_full Synthesis of carbon fiber reinforced SiC aerogel composites with enhanced mechanical and antioxidant properties for high temperature insulation
title_fullStr Synthesis of carbon fiber reinforced SiC aerogel composites with enhanced mechanical and antioxidant properties for high temperature insulation
title_full_unstemmed Synthesis of carbon fiber reinforced SiC aerogel composites with enhanced mechanical and antioxidant properties for high temperature insulation
title_short Synthesis of carbon fiber reinforced SiC aerogel composites with enhanced mechanical and antioxidant properties for high temperature insulation
title_sort synthesis of carbon fiber reinforced sic aerogel composites with enhanced mechanical and antioxidant properties for high temperature insulation
topic Silicon carbide aerogels
Carbon fiber composites
Mechanical strength
Thermal insulation
Stacking faults
Oxidation resistance
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2238785425009524
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