Study on the microstructure evolution of phenol-formaldehyde resin modified by ceramic additive

Abstract

Boron carbide (B₄C) was selected as the additive for the modification of a phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resin, and the micro-structural evolution of the modified resin at high temperature was investigated. Results showed that the distribution of B4C particles became uniform at elevated temperatures. The primary oxidation of B₄C started to occur at 450vH, and lots of B₂O₃ was formed above 650vH. By the modification reactions of B₄C, the volatiles including CO was converted into amorphous carbon and remained in the resin matrix, which was responsible for maintaining the stability of the resin at high temperatures.

Keywords

organic polymer materials, phenol-formaldehyde resin, boron carbide, modification