HIGH PERFORMANCE TEXTILE GRADE MICRO-LAMINATE FIBERS

A TECHNIQUE HAS BEEN DEVISED TO MAKE HIGH-OPERATING-TEMPERATURE, CERAMIC, MICRO-FIBERS BY CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION OF A SILICON CARBIDE ULTRA-STRUCTURE ON A FILAMENTAL SEED. CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION FOR MAKING FIBERS IS OLD ART, BUT THE FIBERS PRODUCED WERE ALWAYS MACRO-FIBERS, SOME OF WHICH HAVE PERFORMED VERY WELL BECAUSE OF THE VERY HIGH STRENGTH OF THEDEPOSITED MATERIAL. THE APPROACH TAKEN IN THIS PROJECT MAKES USE OF CVD TECHNIQUES TO DEPOSIT A MICRO-LAMINATED STRUCTURE, WHEREIN THE LAMINATES DO NOT EXCEED 50 NM IN THICKNESS. GREAT TOUGHNESS IS EXPECTED FROM THESE FIBERS. BECAUSE OF THEIR SMALL DIAMETERS THEY WILL BE TEXTILE-GRADE FIBERS. ADDITIONALLY, BARRIER COATINGS WILL BE APPLIED AS THE FINAL LAMINATE WITHOUT INTERRUPTION OF THE PROCESS. A TECHNIQUE HAS BEEN DEVISED TO MAKE HIGH-OPERATING-TEMPERATURE, CERAMIC, MICRO-FIBERS BY CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION OF A SILICON CARBIDE ULTRA-STRUCTURE ON A FILAMENTAL SEED. CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION FOR MAKING FIBERS IS OLD ART, BUT THE FIBERS PRODUCED WERE ALWAYS MACRO-FIBERS, SOME OF WHICH HAVE PERFORMED VERY WELL BECAUSE OF THE VERY HIGH STRENGTH OF THEDEPOSITED MATERIAL. THE APPROACH TAKEN IN THIS PROJECT MAKES USE OF CVD TECHNIQUES TO DEPOSIT A MICRO-LAMINATED STRUCTURE, WHEREIN THE LAMINATES DO NOT EXCEED 50 NM IN THICKNESS. GREAT TOUGHNESS IS EXPECTED FROM THESE FIBERS. BECAUSE OF THEIR SMALL DIAMETERS THEY WILL BE TEXTILE-GRADE FIBERS. ADDITIONALLY, BARRIER COATINGS WILL BE APPLIED AS THE FINAL LAMINATE WITHOUT INTERRUPTION OF THE PROCESS.