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Journal of Advanced Ceramics 2023, 12(3): 578-586 https://doi.org/10.26599/JAC.2023.9220706
Research Article | Open Access | Issue | Published: 22 February 2023

Microstructure and evolution of hafnium carbide whiskers via polymer-derived ceramics: A novel formation mechanism

Show Author's Information Yanqin Fua,c,  Yulei Zhanga( ),  Hao Yanb,  Jinhua Lib( ),  Xuemin Yina,  Jia Suna,  Qiangang Fua,  Ralf Riedelc
Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Fiber Reinforced Light Composite Materials, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China
School of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Xi’an Technological University, Xi’an 710021, China
Institut für Materialwissenschaft, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt D-64287, Germany
Keywords:
HfC whiskers, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), CNT template, Hf-containing precursor, thermal pyrolysis
Cite this article:
Fu Y, Zhang Y, Yan H, et al. Microstructure and evolution of hafnium carbide whiskers via polymer-derived ceramics: A novel formation mechanism. Journal of Advanced Ceramics, 2023, 12(3): 578-586. https://doi.org/10.26599/JAC.2023.9220706
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Abstract Full text About this article

Polymer-derived ultra-high-temperature ceramic (UHTC) nanocomposites have attracted growing attention due to the increasing demands for advanced thermal structure components in aerospace. Herein, hafnium carbide (HfC) whiskers are successfully fabricated in carbon fiber preforms via the polymer-derived ceramic (PDC) method. A novel carbon nanotube (CNT) template growth mechanism combined with the PDC method is proposed in this work, which is different from the conventional vapor–liquid–solid (VLS) mechanism that is commonly used for polymer-derived nanostructured ceramics. The CNTs are synthesized and proved to be the templates for fabricating the HfC whiskers, which are generated by the released low-molecular-weight gas such as CO, CO2, and CH4 during the pyrolysis of a Hf-containing precursor. The formed products are composed of inner single crystal HfC whiskers that are measured to be several tens of micrometers in length and 100–200 nm in diameter and outer HfC/HfO2 particles. Our work not only proposes a new strategy to prepare the HfC whiskers, but also puts forward a new thinking of the efficient utilization of a UHTC polymer precursor.


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About this article

Microstructure and evolution of hafnium carbide whiskers via polymer-derived ceramics: A novel formation mechanism

Show Author's information Yanqin Fua,c, Yulei Zhanga( ), Hao Yanb, Jinhua Lib( ), Xuemin Yina, Jia Suna, Qiangang Fua, Ralf Riedelc
Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Fiber Reinforced Light Composite Materials, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China
School of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Xi’an Technological University, Xi’an 710021, China
Institut für Materialwissenschaft, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt D-64287, Germany

Abstract

Polymer-derived ultra-high-temperature ceramic (UHTC) nanocomposites have attracted growing attention due to the increasing demands for advanced thermal structure components in aerospace. Herein, hafnium carbide (HfC) whiskers are successfully fabricated in carbon fiber preforms via the polymer-derived ceramic (PDC) method. A novel carbon nanotube (CNT) template growth mechanism combined with the PDC method is proposed in this work, which is different from the conventional vapor–liquid–solid (VLS) mechanism that is commonly used for polymer-derived nanostructured ceramics. The CNTs are synthesized and proved to be the templates for fabricating the HfC whiskers, which are generated by the released low-molecular-weight gas such as CO, CO2, and CH4 during the pyrolysis of a Hf-containing precursor. The formed products are composed of inner single crystal HfC whiskers that are measured to be several tens of micrometers in length and 100–200 nm in diameter and outer HfC/HfO2 particles. Our work not only proposes a new strategy to prepare the HfC whiskers, but also puts forward a new thinking of the efficient utilization of a UHTC polymer precursor.

Keywords: HfC whiskers, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), CNT template, Hf-containing precursor, thermal pyrolysis

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Publication history
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Publication history

Received: 19 August 2022
Revised: 07 December 2022
Accepted: 08 December 2022
Published: 22 February 2023
Issue date: March 2023

Copyright

© The Author(s) 2022.

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 52293373, 52130205, and 52061135102) and the National Key R&D Program of China (Grant No. 2021YFA0715803). Also, we would like to thank ND Basic Research Funds of Northwestern Polytechnical University (Grant No. G2022WD) and China Scholarship Program, 2020 (Grant No. 202006290179).

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