Preparation of silicon oxycarbide ceramic fiber membranes for thermal insulation

Abstract Lightweight thermal insulation materials are of critical importance for vehicle safety within the aerospace industry. In this study, polysiloxane fiber membranes were prepared by electrospinning, which was further pyrolyzed at 1000°C for an hour to obtain silicon oxycarbide (SiOC) ceramic fiber membranes, which contained SiOC fibers with the diameters of 1.03 ± 0.04 μm. In addition, the back temperature of SiOC ceramic fiber membranes with a thickness of 1 mm reached only 375°C after being subjected to 1100°C for 120 seconds, showing excellent thermal insulation capability. Thus, the SiOC ceramic fiber membranes have great potential applications for thermal insulation in the aerospace field.