A method of synthesizing mechanically resilient titanium carbide (TiC) nanofibrous felts comprising continuous nanofibers or nano-ribbons with TiC crystallites embedded in carbon matrix, comprising: (a) electrospinning a spin dope for making precursor nanofibers with diameters less than 0.5 J.Lm; (b) overlaying the nanofibers to produce a nano-fibrous mat (felt); and then (c) heating the nano-felts first at a low temperature, and then at a high temperature for making electrospun continuous nanofibers or nano-ribbons with TiC crystallites embedded in carbon matrix; and (d) chlorinating the above electrospun nano-felts at an elevated temperature to remove titanium for producing carbide derived carbon (CDC) nano-fibrous felt with high specific surface areas.

Provided are a SiC/ZrC composite fiber, a preparation method and use thereof. The SiC/ZrC composite fiber has a diameter of 10 to 70 m. The method includes mixing liquid polycarbosilane with a zirconium-containing polymer to obtain a hybrid spinning solution, and then performing electrospinning to obtain a SiC/ZrC composite fiber precursor, crosslinking and thermally treating the SiC/ZrC composite fiber precursor in a protective atmosphere to obtain the SiC/ZrC composite fiber. The SiC/ZrC composite fiber is continuous and uniform, has an adjustable diameter, and thus has outstanding tensile strength and breaking strength and excellent high-temperature resistance. Without use of any organic solvent or spinning agent, the method achieves short process flow and high yield, indicating wide application prospects.

Methods for fabricating a ceramic matrix composite are disclosed. A fiber preform may be placed in a mold. An aqueous solution may be added to the fiber preform. The aqueous solution may include water, carbon nanotubes, and a binder. The preform may be frozen. Freezing the preform may cause the water to expand and separate fibers in the fiber preform. The carbon nanotubes may bond to the fibers. The preform may be freeze dried to remove the water. The preform may then be processed according to standard CMC process.

A system and method for forming a porous ceramic preform is provided. The method may include forming a stacked powder structure including a binder layer and a powder layer on the binder layer. The binder layer may be formed by depositing a binder with a spray nozzle on a substrate. The powder layer may be formed by depositing a powder on the binder layer. The porous ceramic preform may be formed by heating the stacked powder structure to pyrolyze the binder. The porous ceramic preform is configured to be infiltrated by a molten material. The substrate may comprise a ceramic fiber preform. After melt infiltration of the porous ceramic preform and the ceramic fiber preform, a densified ceramic feature having a predetermined geometry may be formed on a ceramic matrix composite (CMC) component.

A multilayer ceramic capacitor includes: a multilayer structure in which each of a plurality of ceramic dielectric layers and each of a plurality of internal electrode layers are alternately stacked wherein: a concentration of a rare earth element of at least one of an end margin region and a side margin region is lower than that of a capacity region; a total concentration of Si and B of the at least one of the end margin region and the side margin region is higher than that of the capacity region.

Provided in certain embodiments are high performance graphene fibers and yarns, including components and precursors thereof, and composites comprising the same. Also provided herein are methods of manufacturing such fibers, yarns, composites, and components/precursors thereof.

Process for the preparation of a ceramic nanowire preform, in particular, a process for the preparation of a ceramic nanowire preform by combining a template technique and a preceramic polymer conversion technique. The process uses carbonaceous material as a template, and prepares an isotropic ceramic nanowire preform by controlling the ratio of a precursor to a solvent, the amount of a catalyst and the ratio of a prepared precursor solution to the carbonaceous template, wherein the preform is isotropic and has lower bulk density and higher volume fraction.

Methods of producing continuous (or discontinuous) boron carbide fibers. The method comprises reacting a continuous or discontinuous carbon fiber material and a boron oxide gas within a temperature range of from approximately 1400 C. to approximately 2200 C. Articles including such partially or fully converted fibers may be provided, including such reinforcing fibers in a matrix of ceramic (a CMC), in metal (a MMC), or other matrix (e.g., polymer, etc.).

The disclosed methods and apparatus improve the fabrication of solid fibers and microstructures. In many embodiments, the fabrication is from gaseous, solid, semi-solid, liquid, critical, and supercritical mixtures using one or more low molar mass precursor(s), in combination with one or more high molar mass precursor(s). The methods and systems generally employ the thermal diffusion/Soret effect to concentrate the low molar mass precursor at a reaction zone, where the presence of the high molar mass precursor contributes to this concentration, and may also contribute to the reaction and insulate the reaction zone, thereby achieving higher fiber growth rates and/or reduced energy/heat expenditures together with reduced homogeneous nucleation. In some embodiments, the invention also relates to the permanent or semi-permanent recording and/or reading of information on or within fabricated fibers and microstructures. In some embodiments, the invention also relates to the fabrication of certain functionally-shaped fibers and microstructures. In some embodiments, the invention may also utilize laser beam profiling to enhance fiber and microstructure fabrication.

A method is provided for growing a fiber structure, where the method includes: obtaining a substrate, growing an array of pedestal fibers on the substrate, growing fibers on the pedestal fibers, and depositing a coating surrounding each of the fibers. In another aspect, a method of fabricating a fiber structure includes obtaining a substrate and growing a plurality of fibers on the substrate according to 1?D printing. In another aspect, a multilayer functional fiber is provided produced by, for instance, the above-noted methods.