LAUSR

Abstract The reactive melt infiltration (RMI) is a cost- and time-efficient technique to produce ceramic matrix composites with low porosity. In the case of carbide-forming infiltrating agent, the carbon matrix should have sufficient open porosity, wettability, and controlled reactivity. A synthetic approach towards carbon matrices with tunable reactivity and mass transport properties is proposed. The approach is based on resol resin/ethylene glycol systems and variable conditions of polymerization-induced phase separation (PIPS). It is shown that increasing the polymerization rate in the PIPS step by raising the temperature or by modifying the resol resin, for example, by partial replacement of phenol with meta-cresol, results in higher segregation intensity and higher capillary pressure during RMI. The mobile pore-forming agent (ethylene glycol) results in the formation of a less defective carbon matrix after pyrolysis in comparison with corresponding thermosetting resol component. The PIPS step and partial replacement of phenol by meta-cresol increase the reactivity of carbon matrix towards carbide-forming infiltrating agent.