Fabrication of SiC mat by radiation processing

Silicon carbide (SiC) exhibits many important properties, such as high intrinsic strength, stiffness, and high temperature stability. Therein, it is considered to be one of the most promising candidates for reinforcement of advanced ceramic matrix composites. The use of preceramic polymers presents the possibility of solving the intricacies involved in obtaining a new generation of ceramic materials. In this study, a radiation processing method was used to fabricate a cured polycarbosilane mat as a preceramic polymer. The polycarbosilane mat was cured by electron beam (e-beam) irradiation up to 10 MGy in an inert gas atmosphere. Next, the e-beam-cured PCS mat, as green fiber, was carbonized to produce the SiC mat. The conversion process of the PCS mat into the SiC mat was investigated by SEM, FT-IR, XRD, and TGA. According to FT-IR analysis, the Si–H peak intensity was observed to decrease as the polymer structure changed from polycarbosilane to SiC. The XRD patterns of SiC showed the diffraction peaks at (1 1 1), (2 2 0), and (3 1 1) which indicated the emergence of β-SiC. TGA curve shows that weight percent of residue of electrospun PCS mat, e-beam-cured PCS mat and pyrolyzed SiC mat up to 1000 °C were 72.5%, 88.3%, and 99.2%, respectively.