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Carbon Nanotube Reinforced Composites: Metal and Ceramic ...

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152j 5 <strong>Carbon</strong> <strong>Nanotube</strong>–<strong>Ceramic</strong> Nanocomposites<br />

the molecular level. TEOS undergoes hydrolysis <strong>and</strong> condensation leading to the<br />

formation of metal oxide network via Si O Si (siloxane) bonding. The presence of<br />

acid or basic catalysts can speed up the hydrolysis process. In general, CNTs must be<br />

chemically functionalized [90–92]. Otherwise, surfactants must be introduced into<br />

the sol to disperse pristine CNTs [86, 89]. Very recently, Berguiga et al. fabricated a<br />

SiO2/CNT thin film using the sol-gel technique [92]. In the process, SiO2 sol was<br />

prepared by mixing TEOS with hydrochloric acid <strong>and</strong> ethanol. MWNTs were purified,<br />

shortened <strong>and</strong> funtionalized with chlorine. Functionalized MWNTs were introduced<br />

into silica sol under sonication. The SiO2/CNT thin films were then deposited on<br />

glass substrates by the dip-coating method. Figure 5.20(a) <strong>and</strong> (b) show the surface<br />

Figure 5.20 Tapping mode AFM images of silica/MWNT film<br />

prepared by the sol-gel technique with (a) square area of 1.4 mm<br />

<strong>and</strong> (b) a zoomed area. Reproduced with permission from [92].<br />

Copyright Ó (2006) Elsevier.

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