Thermal Conductivity of Carbon/Carbon Composites with the Fiber/Matrix Interface Modified by Silicon Carbide Nanofibers

Silicon carbide nanofibers grew on the surface of carbon fibers of a unidirectional carbon preform by CCVD and then chemical vapor infiltration was used to densify the preform to get the SiCNF-C/C composite. The effects of silicon carbide nanofibers on the microstructure of the pyrolytic carbon and the thermal conductivity of the SiCNF-C/C composite were investigated. Results show that silicon carbide nanofibers on the surface of carbon fibers induce the deposition of high texture pyrolytic carbon around them. The interface bonding between carbon fibers and pyrolytic carbon is well adjusted. So the efficiency of heat transfer in the interface of the composite is well enhanced. The thermal conductivity of the SiCNF-C/C composite is greater than that of the C/C composite, especially the thermal conductivity perpendicular to the fiber axis.