Carbon-bonded carbon fiber composites containing uniformly distributed silicon carbide

Carbon-bonded carbon fiber composites (CBCFs) containing SiC particles with uniform microstructure were produced using an innovative dispersion and flocculent approach. The mixed phenolic (P_f), SiC particles and chopped carbon fibers (C_f) were blended uniformly using polyethyleneimine (PEI) as a dispersant and polyacrylamide (PAM) as a flocculating agent. A homogeneous distribution of SiC particles coated CBCFs was obtained with the addition of 0.6 wt% PEI and 0.8 wt% PAM. The effect of PEI and PAM content on the microstructure, slurry dispersibility and stability of SiC-modified CBCFs was investigated. The compressive strength and compression modulus of the SiC-modified CBCFs were improved compared with unmodified CBCFs. This simple and versatile approach can be used to prepare large-scale and modified CBCFs.