Carbon Nanotube Reinforced Composites: Metal and Ceramic ...
Carbon Nanotube Reinforced Composites: Metal and Ceramic ...
Carbon Nanotube Reinforced Composites: Metal and Ceramic ...
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2<br />
<strong>Carbon</strong> <strong>Nanotube</strong>–<strong>Metal</strong> Nanocomposites<br />
2.1<br />
Overview<br />
<strong>Metal</strong>-matrix composites (MMCs) reinforced with ceramic offer the attractive<br />
combination of strength, stiffness, wear- <strong>and</strong> creep-resistant characteristics over<br />
monolithic alloys. The composites were initially developed for military <strong>and</strong> space<br />
applications. However, recent dem<strong>and</strong> for materials with specified functional<br />
properties has led to their broad applications in ground transportation, automotive,<br />
chemical, electronic <strong>and</strong> recreational industries. <strong>Ceramic</strong> reinforcements introduced<br />
into metal matrices could be continuous fibers, discontinuous short fibers, whiskers<br />
or particulates. Continuous ceramic fiber-reinforced MMCs generally possess higher<br />
mechanical strength <strong>and</strong> stiffness, but the high cost of fibers <strong>and</strong> complicated<br />
processing methods make them uneconomical for most industrial applications.<br />
In this regard, particulate-reinforced MMCs have received increasingly attention<br />
because of their ease of fabrication, lower cost <strong>and</strong> near-isotropic properties [1].<br />
Table 2.1 lists representative reinforcement materials for MMCs.<br />
In addition to continuous ceramic fiber reinforcement, carbon fibers (CF) can also<br />
be used to reinforce metals to form composites with high specific strength <strong>and</strong><br />
stiffness, low coefficient of thermal expansion, high thermal <strong>and</strong> electrical conductivity.<br />
<strong>Carbon</strong> fibers are mainly produced from polyacrylonitrile (PAN), <strong>and</strong> several<br />
processing steps are needed to form CFs from this polymeric precursor. These<br />
include stabilization, carbonization <strong>and</strong> graphitization. In the process, PAN precursor<br />
solution is initially spun into fibers in which polymer molecular chains align with<br />
the fiber direction. These fibers are oxidized at 220 C under tension, resulting in the<br />
fracture of hydrogen bonds <strong>and</strong> rearrangement of polar nitrile (CN) group into a<br />
thermally stable ladder bonding. The stabilized PAN fibers are then pyrolyzed at<br />
1000–1500 C in an inert atmosphere to form a carbon ring structure. <strong>Carbon</strong>ized<br />
fibers with 85–99% carbon content exhibit high tensile strength, low modulus, <strong>and</strong><br />
very low strain to failure. The graphitization stage is an optional treatment to obtain<br />
fibers with high modulus, low tensile strength <strong>and</strong> extremely low fracture strain.<br />
In the process, carbonized fibers are further heated at or above 2000 C in an inert<br />
atmosphere to produce highly oriented graphite layers with carbon content more<br />
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