Preparation of boron-carbide/carbon nanofibers from a poly(norbornenyldecaborane) single-source precursor via electrostatic spinning

Methods for the fabrication of nanoscale, freestanding, porous boron carbide/carbon, ceramic fiber matrices through electrostatic spinning and pyrolysis of poly(norbornenyldecarborane) were developed. Due to versatility of electrostatic spinning with various polymer and molecular systems, the approach is useful to fabricate ceramic fibers with various compositions. Boron carbide has many advantageous characteristics including chemical inertness, low density, high thermal stability, hardness and high-temperature thermoelectric properties. These characteristics favor the use of boron carbide in many applications, including in abrasive wear-resistant materials, ceramic armor and neutron moderators in nuclear reactors.