High-Temperature Corrosion Behavior of SiBCN Fibers for Aerospace Applications

Abstract

Amorphous SiBCN fibers possessing superior stability against oxidation have become a desirable candidate for high-temperature aerospace applications. Currently, investigations on the high-temperature corrosion behavior of these fibers for the application in high-heat engines are insufficient. Here, our polymer-derived SiBCN fibers were corroded at 1400 °C in air and simulated combustion environments. The fibers’ structural evolution after corrosion in two different conditions and the potential mechanisms are investigated. It shows that the as-prepared SiBCN fibers mainly consist of amorphous networks of SiN3C, SiN4, B–N hexatomic rings, free carbon clusters, and BN2C units. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy cross-section observations combined with energy-dispersive spectrometry/electron energy-loss spectroscopy analysis exhibit a trilayer structure with no detectable cracks for fibers after corrosion, including the outermost SiO2 layer, the h-BN grain-contained interlayer, and the uncorroded fiber core. A high percentage of water vapor contained in the simulated combustion environment triggers the formation of abundant α-cristobalite nanoparticles dispersing in the amorphous SiO2 phase, which are absent in fibers corroded in air. The formation of h-BN grains in the interlayer could be ascribed to the sacrificial effects of free carbon clusters, Si–C, and Si–N units reacting with oxygen diffusing inward, which protects h-BN grains formed by networks of B–N hexatomic rings in original SiBCN fibers. These results improve our understanding of the corrosion process of SiBCN fibers in a high-temperature oxygen- and water-rich atmosphere.