CVD and CVI of pyrocarbon from various precursors

The control of pyrocarbon (pyC) chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) is a key issue in the processing of high-performance C/C composites with applications in aerospace parts and braking technology. For years, the precise investigation of deposition kinetics and pyC nanometer-scale anisotropy has been rehearsed in chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and several variants of CVI with various pore sizes, and using mostly propane, propylene, and methane as source precursors. rature survey and the analysis of recent experimental data have helped to understand better the role of gas-phase intermediate species in the various nanotextural transitions; a coherent modeling frame, which is suitable for propane, propylene, and methane—the latter having a neatly lower reactivity—has been set up and tested against experimental results from independent teams. The relation between nanotexture and processing conditions is then explained.