ИСТИНА

The ceramic matrix composites (CMC) are used nowadays as structural materials in very extreme environments including high-temperatures, oxidative and corrosive media. One of processing method of the CMC with near-zero porosity is reactive melt infiltration (RMI), where the carbon matrix can be used as precursor for carbide-type CMC-matrix. The using of ultra-high temperature ceramics such as ZrC can improve ablation and erosion resistance of “ordinary” SiC matrix of CMC and further improve high-temperature performance. In this regard the controlled carbide formation in the system carbon – zirconium - silicon is an urgent and important task for processing Zr-Si-C-matrix composites by RMI method. The synthesis conditions of carbon matrix with variable transport properties and chemical reactivity are regarded. The using of resol-type phenol-formaldehyde resin and pore forming agents (ethylene glycol) make it possible to synthesis the carbon matrix with variable porosity, transport properties and chemical reactivity. It was shown, that the polymerization induced phase separation (PIPS) conditions in the chosen system are the most important instruments to control the transport properties and porosity (Fig.1 left). The partial substitution of phenol by cresol in the step of resol resin synthesis makes it possible to vary the chemical reactivity of carbon matrix towards eutectic Zr-Si melt (Fig.1 right).