Effect of CeO2 doping on structural, electrical and mechanical properties of basalt fibers

Developing basalt fibers with low dielectric properties and excellent water resistance is still very challenging. To overcome this problem, basalt glass and basalt fibers with different CeO2 content were prepared in this paper by using the conventional melt cooling method and single hole drawing process. The relationship between CeO2 content (0 wt%-4 wt%), the structural, electrical and mechanical properties of basalt fibers was investigated by using XRD, Raman, dielectric properties tester and fiber strength and elongation meter. The results showed that when the weight content of CeO2 was 2 wt%, the glass had the most stable network structure with the largest degree of linkage, resulting in a 75 % increase in water resistance, the lowest values of dielectric constant (6.25) and dielectric loss (4.38 × 10−3), and a 33 % increase in tensile strength.