Tungsten carbide-silicon carbide nanocomposite fibers prepared from tungsten nanoparticle dispersed polycarbosilane by electrospinning

W₂C-SiC nanocomposite fibers were fabricated by electrospinning and pyrolysis using tungsten nanoparticle (nW; diameter, 3-5 nm) dispersed polycarbosilane solution. The nW was uniformly dispersed in the electrospun polycarbosilane fibers and transformed into α-W₂C during pyrolysis at 1200 °C, where the polycarbosilane-derived SiC fibers acted as a source of carbon and as an effective support for the α-W₂C nanoparticles, preventing them from converting into another phase at 1200 °C. A part of the nW dispersed on the fiber surface is considered to transform into α-W₂C at the early stages of pyrolysis by carburization with the gases evolved during the pyrolytic decomposition of poly carbosilane, such as CH₄.