Polycrystalline Ceramic Fibers by Extrusion

titanate and a silicon carbide/zirconium diboride particulate composite have each been blended with thermoplastic of aqueous binders and extruded. The green extrudates have diameters ranging between 50 and 150 ㎛ and polyethylene-base 150 ${\mu}m$ diameter fibers can be drawn down at elevated temperature to approximately 40 ${\mu}m$ diameter. Hollow fibers with 150${\mu}m$ outer and 90 ${\mu}m$ inner diameter can also be fabricated. Green fibers have been processed into chopped fiber felts for use as gas distributors/current collectors in an experimental solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) and the first attempts at producing simple textile structures have been successful. The fibers, tubes and felts have been successfully debound and sintered and characterization of the sintered PSZ fibers, for example, has revealed a density in excess of 99% and tensile failure stresses up to 1.0 GPa for 78 ${\mu}m$ diameter fibers.