Mechanical properties and wear resistance of Cf / epoxy resin composites with in-situ grown SiC nanowires on carbon fibers

ABSTRACT Carbon fiber-reinforced resin matrix composites have been utilized as structural and bearing parts in aerospace because of their high specific strength and modulus. To improve the mechanical properties and wear resistance of carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy resin composites, we propose the in-situ growth of SiC nanowires on the surface of carbon fiber by a Chemical Vapor Deposition method. The effect of the addition of nanowires on the mechanical strength and wear resistance of carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy resin composites was investigated. The results indicated that the tensile strength and bending strength of SiCnws / C f / epoxy resin composites increased by 13.8% and 16.2% on the condition that the concentration of Ni(NO3)2 catalyst was 0.1 mol/L, respectively. The improvement of the mechanical properties could be attributed to the mechanical interlocking affection between carbon fiber and SiC nanowires. In addition, due to SiC nanowires with a three-dimensional network structure on the surface of carbon fiber, the stronger adhesive force between epoxy matrix SiC nanowires protected the resin matrix and carbon fiber from abrasion. The wear rate of SiCnws / C f / epoxy composites was reduced by 98.1%. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT