ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Low-temperature synthesis of boron carbide nanofibers via electrospinning to reinforce composites

Aslı Dörtler Kesici and Nadir Kiraz

Department of Material Science and Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Bursa Technical University, Bursa, Turkey

E-mail: nadirkiraz@akdeniz.edu.tr

Received: 16 January 2021  Accepted: 15 June 2021

Abstract:

This study is to obtain low-temperature boron carbide fibers from the polymer–precursor mixture. The fibers produced by the electrospinning method from a mixture of boric acid (H₃BO₃) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermogravimetric method to create calcination programs. After calcinations, fiber structure was examined by SEM, X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. According to the characterization results, the thinnest fiber belongs to 0.50% by weight H₃BO₃–PVP proportional solution. Subsequently, these fibers were modified with the compound [3-(Methacryloxy) propyl] trimethoxysilane to form strong cross-links in the composite. Then, the organic matrix formed by the mixture of bisphenol-A glycidyl methacrylate, diurethane dimethacrylate, triethylene glycol dimethacrylate, benzoyl peroxide and modified fibers was reinforced in different proportions. In this way, 3-point bending tests were performed on fiber-reinforced and particle-reinforced composites, and the results were compared on mechanical strength values.

Keywords: Boron carbide; Electrospinning; Nanocomposite; Nanofiber; Three-point bending

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-021-01745-1

Chemical Papers 75 (11) 5839–5848 (2021)