Micelle-Mediated Synthesis of Single-Crystalline beta(3C)-SiC Fibers via Emulsion Electrospinning

Abstract

Submicroscale SiC fiber mats were prepared by the electrospinning of an oil-in-water(O/W) precursor emulsion, a subsequent thermal curing treatment, and calcination at 1600 degrees C. Low-molecular-weight PCS micelles entrapped within an aqueous PVP matrix played an important role in forming the continuous and dense core structure, resulting in pure SiC fibers. The manipulation of SiC fiber diameters could be obtained via control of the micellar PCS concentration (10-30 wt %), enabling the production of dense and highly crystallized SiC fiber architectures with diameters ranging from 200 to 350 nm.