Improved Thermal Stabilities, Ablation and Mechanical Properties for Carbon Fibers/Phenolic Resins Laminated Composites Modified by Silicon-containing Polyborazine

Hui Zhao 1,2

Lixin Chen 1,2, Email

Jin Yun 1,2

Lin Tang 1,2

Ziyou Wen 1,2

Xiao Zhang 1,2

Junwei Gu 1,2,3, Email or Email

1 Research & Development Institute of Northwestern Polytechnical University in Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518057, China 

2 MOE Key Laboratory of Material Physics and Chemistry under Extraordinary Conditions, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Science and Technology, Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Science, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’ an, Shaanxi, 710072, China

3 Institute of Intelligence Material and Structure, Institute of Unmanned Systems, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’ an, Shaanxi, 710072, China

Abstract

Synthesized ceramic precursor of silicon-containing polyborazine (SPBZ) was introduced to fabricate the modified phenolic resins (SPBZ-PR), which was then performed as resin matrix to obtain carbon fibers reinforced SPBZ-PR (CF/SPBZ-PR) laminated composites via hot-compression. The incorporation of SPBZ could improve the thermal stabilities of PR, and the optimal decomposition temperature at 5% weight loss (T5) of the SPBZ15-PR (15 wt% of phenol to SPBZ) was increased to 406.8oC and the char yield at 1200oC still retained 70.3%, owing to borazine ring and formed SiOx structure during pyrolysis process. Furthermore, the CF/SPBZ15-PR laminated composites presented relatively higher ILSS, more excellent ablation properties and shape retention abilities than that of CF/PR laminated composites. The corresponding linear and mass ablation rate were both decreased from 0.013 mm/s and 0.033 g/s for CF/PR laminated composites to 0.0079 mm/s and 0.025 g/s, decreased by 39.2% and 24.2%, respectively.

Improved Thermal Stabilities, Ablation and Mechanical Properties for Carbon Fibers/Phenolic Resins Laminated Composites Modified by Silicon-containing Polyborazine