Simultaneous PAN carbonization and ceramic sintering for fabricating carbon fiber-ceramic composite heaters

© 2019 by the authors. In this study, a single firing was used to convert stabilized polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers and ceramic forming materials (kaolin, feldspar, and quartz) into carbon fiber/ceramic composites. For the first time, PAN carbonization and ceramic sintering were achieved simultaneously in one thermal cycle and the microscopic morphologies and physical features of the obtained carbon fiber/ceramic composites were characterized in detail. The obtained carbon fiber/ceramic composite showed comparable flexural strength as commercial ceramic tiles. Meanwhile, the composite showed exceptional electro-thermal performance based on the electro-thermal performance of the carbonized PAN fibers, which could reach 108 °C after 15 s, 204 °C after 90 s, and 292 °C after 450 s at 5 V (2.6 A), thereby making the ceramic composite a good candidate as an indoor climate control heater, defogger device, kettle, and other heating element.