In-situ homogeneous growth of ZrC nanowires on carbon cloth and their effects on flexural properties of carbon/carbon composites

In-situ ZrC nanowires (ZrCNWs) has been successfully synthesized on carbon cloth by precursor pyrolysis. The morphology, microstructure and chemical composition of the ZrCNWs were characterized by SEM, TEM, EDS and XRD. The results show that the ZrCNWs are single crystal structures with diameters of approximately 500–1000 nm and an aspect ratio of up to 100. A growth model based on SLS (Solid-Liquid-Solid) mechanism is proposed to explain the growth of ZrCNWs, which reveals that the reason for the formation of ZrCNWs was the auxiliary action of the catalyst. The pyrolytic carbon (PyC) has high texture (HT) whose extinction angle is 18–20° and the growth mode of PyC is cone-shaped in ZrCNWs modified C/C composites. The toughening mechanism in ZrCNWs modified carbon/carbon (C/C) composites can be realized by the bridging of ZrCNWs, cracks deflecting, and the enhancement of interfacial bond strength between matrix and fiber. The flexural strength of C/C composites is increased by 163.2% after the introduction of ZrCNWs.