A new approach to fabricate SiC nanowire-embedded dense SiC matrix/carbon fiber composite

A novel and simple sol–gel route has been used for the fabrication of composite structure composed of carbon fibers and silicon carbide nanowires embedded in dense silicon carbide matrix. The carbonaceous silica sol was impregnated in the carbon fiber preform at atmospheric pressure. The sol impregnated carbon preform was cured and heat treated to convert into silicon carbide. The analysis by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray tomography, and transmission electron microscopy indicates that the impregnated carbonaceous silica gel converts to β-silicon carbide with dense and wire morphology. Different morphological silicon carbide was uniformly distributed inside carbon fiber preform and there was no degradation in thermophysical properties of carbon composite during processing. These results reveal high efficient reinforcement of different morphological silicon carbide in carbon composite, demonstrate a new mechanism of carbon composite reinforcement and suggest a new direction to carbon composite reinforcement.