Ceramic continuous fibers having metal element and ceramic matrix composite material using same

1 . A ceramic continuous fiber comprising a ceramic continuous fiber and at least one metal element therein, with a concentration by mass of the metal element being 10 ppm or more and 1000 ppm or less, wherein the metal element is contained in crystal grain boundaries in a ceramic material forming the ceramic continuous fiber.

2 . The ceramic continuous fiber according to claim 1 , wherein the metal element is a metal element or elements that are neither iron nor aluminum.

3 . The ceramic continuous fiber according to claim 1 , wherein the metal element is one or more selected from the group consisting of sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, strontium, barium, lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium, yttrium, zirconium, neodymium, titanium, scandium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, cobalt, nickel and copper.

4 . The ceramic continuous fiber according to claim 1 , wherein the metal element is one or more selected from the group consisting of lanthanum, ytterbium, lutetium, magnesium, cerium, zirconium, neodymium, titanium, calcium, yttrium and strontium.

5 . The ceramic continuous fiber according to claim 1 , wherein the metal element is in a state of at least one of grain boundary diffusion or substitutional dissolution.

6 . The ceramic continuous fiber according to claim 1 , wherein the ceramic continuous fiber is a continuous fiber containing at least alumina.

7 . The ceramic continuous fiber according to claim 1 , wherein a percentage growth of crystallites after heat treatment in an air atmosphere at 1300° C. for 100 hours calculated according to equation (1) below is 160% or less:

G ={( d b −d a )/ d a }×100  (1)

where G is the percentage growth (%) of crystallites, d a is a size (nm) of crystallites of a fiber-forming substance in the ceramic continuous fiber before the heat treatment, and d b is a size (nm) of crystallites of the fiber-forming substance in the ceramic continuous fiber after the heat treatment.

8 . The ceramic continuous fiber according to claim 1 , wherein the ceramic continuous fiber is an alumina continuous fiber or mullite continuous fiber.

9 . A ceramic matrix composite material comprising the ceramic continuous fiber according to claim 1 .

10 . The ceramic matrix composite material according to claim 9 , wherein a ceramic matrix or matrices forming the ceramic matrix composite material are at least any one selected from the group of alumina, mullite, zirconia and silica.

11 . The ceramic matrix composite material according to claim 9 , wherein a difference between bulk tensile strength of the material before heat treatment in an air atmosphere at 1300° C. for 100 hours and bulk tensile strength of the material after the heat treatment is 100 MPa or less.

12 . A method for producing the ceramic continuous fiber according to claim 1 , the method comprising an immersion step in which a ceramic continuous fiber is immersed in a solution containing at least one metal acetylacetonate complex and a step of heating the ceramic continuous fiber at 950° C. or above and 1300° C. or below.

13 . The method according to claim 12 for producing a ceramic continuous fiber, wherein the metal acetylacetonate complex is an acetylacetonate complex or complexes containing one or more selected from the group of lanthanum, ytterbium, lutetium, magnesium, zirconium, cerium, yttrium, titanium, sodium, potassium, calcium, scandium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, gallium and strontium.

14 . A method for producing a ceramic matrix composite material, the method comprising combining the ceramic continuous fiber according to claim 1 and a ceramic matrix into a composite.