J. Mater. Sci. Technol. ›› 2016, Vol. 32 ›› Issue (7): 611-616.DOI: 10.1016/j.jmst.2016.03.021

• Orginal Article • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Influence of ZrB2 Nanoparticles on the Mechanical and Thermal Behaviors of Carbon Nanotube Reinforced Resol Composite

Zahra Amirsardari1, Rouhollah Mehdinavaz-Aghdam2, *, Masoud Salavati-Niasari1, Mohammad Reza Jahannama2   

  1. 1 Institute of Nano Science and Nano Technology, University of Kashan, Kashan, Iran; 2 Department of Nanotechnology, Space Transportation Research Institute, Iranian Space Research Center, Tehran, Iran
  • Received:2015-06-06 Revised:2015-09-09 Online:2016-07-10 Published:2016-10-10
  • Contact: Corresponding author. Ph.D.; Tel.: +98 21 66282070; Fax: +98 21 66282065. E-mail address: mehdinavaz@aut.ac.ir (R. Mehdinavaz-Aghdam).

Abstract: The present study focuses on the thermal response of carbon fiber-reinforced phenolic composites, where the matrix has been modified with different reinforcements. Two types of materials, multiwalled carbon nanotubes and zirconium diboride (ZrB2), were used in a new design of mixture to produce the heat-resistant ablative composite system. The CNT/ZrB2/carbon/phenolic nanocomposite (Z/NT-CR) system corresponding to CNT/carbon/phenolic nanocomposite (NT-CR) showed a reasonable decrease in mass loss and the ablation rate as compared to carbon/phenolic composite (CR). However, substantial drop in two factors was found for Z/NT-CR as compared to carbon/phenolic and NT-CR. Ablation mechanisms for all three composites were investigated by thermal gravimetric analysis in conjunction with microstructural studies using a field emission scanning electron microscope. The microstructural studies revealed that CNTs acted as an ablation resistant phase for protection against 2000?°C, and the conversion from ZrB2 to ZrO2 played an important role as an insulator in the performance of char layer in the ablation resistance.

Key words: Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), Zirconium diboride nanoparticles (ZrB2), Carbon/phenolic composite, Thermal stability, Ablation performance