The effect of the concentration of water in the silica sol–gel solution on the formation of an oxide film on the surface of carbon fibers

Abstract Studies of SiO2 films deposited on the surface of carbon fibers from a PAN precursor were carried out. Sol-gel solutions with different H2O/TEOS molar ratios were obtained and studied. The hydrolysis-condensation reaction in a sol–gel solution leads to viscosity changes and the formation of Si-O-Si bonds in the IR spectrum. Using SEM, we studied the surface morphology of carbon fibers after deposition of a SiO2 film. The effect of water concentration on the completeness of the reaction in a sol–gel solution and the quality of the oxide film formed on the surface of the fibers are analyzed.