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Carbon Nanotube Reinforced Composites: Metal and Ceramic ...

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increase in the heat flux in the devices. The heat dissipation issue is of primarily<br />

importance to the performance <strong>and</strong> reliability of electronic devices. For composite<br />

materials, formation of thermally conductive networks through appropriate packing<br />

of the fillers in the matrix is an effective route to achieve rapid heat dissipation.<br />

Therefore, CNTs with excellent electrical <strong>and</strong> thermal conductivity are attractive<br />

fillers for insulating ceramics that are widely used in electronic industries. Ideally,<br />

CNTs with large aspect ratios favor formation of a thermally conductive network near<br />

the percolation threshold. However, there is no experimental evidence of thermal<br />

percolation threshold in CNT composites [8, 9]. It is generally known that the transport<br />

of heat in materials occurs by phonons. When heat is transported across the<br />

interface of composites, a temperature discontinuity occurs at the interface due to<br />

interfacial resistance. This originates from the acoustic mismatch <strong>and</strong> weaker<br />

interatomic bonding between the filler <strong>and</strong> matrix at the interface [10].<br />

6.2<br />

Electrical Behavior<br />

6.2 Electrical Behaviorj171<br />

The electrical conductivity of CNT–ceramic nanocomposites depends greatly on the<br />

processing route employed. Peigney et al. [Chap. 5, Ref. 59] employed a catalytic CVD<br />

process for the in situ production of Fe-Al2O3/CNT composite powders. Doublewalled<br />

CNTs or SWNTs were synthesized in situ using metal oxide solid solution<br />

precursors. The synthesized composite powders were then subjected to hot pressing<br />

at 1500 C under 43 MPa for 15 min. The electrical conductivity of Fe-Al2O3/8.5 vol%<br />

CNT <strong>and</strong> Fe-Al2O3/10 vol% CNT nanocomposite was determined to be 40–80 <strong>and</strong><br />

280–400 S m 1 , respectively. As mentioned before, such in situ nanocomposite is<br />

quite porous having a relative density of 88.7%. The high hot-pressing temperature<br />

causes a structural damage to CNTs, thereby yielding lower electrical conductivity.<br />

Mukherjee <strong>and</strong> coworkers [11] prepared Al2O3/5.7vol%SWNT, Al2O3/10vol%<br />

SWNT <strong>and</strong> Al2O3/15vol% SWNT nanocomposites by blending <strong>and</strong> ball milling<br />

SWNTs with alumina nanopowders, followed by spark plasma sintering (SPS) at<br />

1150–1200 C for 3 min. Pristine alumina was also prepared by SPS for the purpose<br />

of comparison. The results are listed in Table 6.1. Apparently, the addition of 5.7 vol%<br />

SWNT to alumina increases its electrical conductivity from 10 12 to 1050 S m 1 ,<br />

being fifteen orders of magnitude of enhancement in conductivity. The electrical<br />

conductivity of alumina increases further to 3345 S m 1 by adding 15 vol% SWNT.<br />

A dramatic increase is electrical conductivity is attributed to the retention of the<br />

integrity of SWNTs <strong>and</strong> densification of such nanocomposites prepared by SPS at<br />

lower temperatures.<br />

Yamamoto et al. [Chap. 5, Ref. 71] fabricated Al2O3/0.9vol% MWNT, Al2O3/1.9vol%<br />

MWNT<strong>and</strong>Al2O3/3.7vol%MWNTnanocompositesbydispersingacidtreatedMWNTs<br />

in ethanol ultrasonically. Aluminum hydroxide <strong>and</strong> magnesium hydroxide were<br />

then added to the nanotube suspension under sonication. The resulting composite<br />

powders were subjected to SPS at 1500 C under a pressure of 20 MPa for 10 min.<br />

In spite of the formation of dense nanocomposites, the relatively high sintering

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