Flexible and thermally stable SiC fiber mats derived from electrospun boron-doped polyaluminocarbosilane precursors

Polymer-derived SiC fibers are critical structural and functional materials for high-temperature applications, whose service performance can be further improved by introduction of certain heterogeneous elements. Herein, flexible and thermal stable SiC fiber mats were prepared from boron-doped polyaluminocarbosilane (PACS) precursor by electro-spinning, curing and pyrolysis. Two boron-containing compounds o-carborane (oCB) and phenylboronic acid (PBA) were used as the boron sources and their effects on the properties and structure of the SiC fiber mats were investigated. The introduced oCB and PBA had obviously improved the ceramic yield of the cured fiber mats and the flexibility of the SiC fiber mats. However, PBA introduced more boron, but also more oxygen, which leaded to formation of more amorphous SiC x O y phases. Although only a small amount of boron was introduced by oCB, a more significant improvement in the thermal stability of the SiC fiber mat was obtained. This work provided a practical approach for fabrication of flexible and thermally stable SiC fiber mats.