Issue 44, 2008

Fabrication of carbon-nanotube-reinforced glass–ceramic nanocomposites by ultrasonic in situ sol–gel processing

Abstract

The addition of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to ceramic or glass matrices has the potential to provide composites with novel properties but composites with a uniform dispersion of undamaged CNTs have proved difficult to make. This paper reports a processing method that overcomes these problems by using a powderless sol–gel route to produce a low-melting point aluminoborosilicate glass matrix, in combination with a dispersion method for the CNTs that is compatible with the sol. Single-walled or multi-walled CNTs were first functionalized by treatment with nitric acid followed by an ammonia–ethanol solution and were then dispersed in a glass precursor sol via ultrasonic processing. After gelation and calcination, the powder was hot pressed to make dense, well dispersed CNT–borosilicate glass composites with CNT contents from 0.5 to 5 wt%. Raman spectroscopy showed that the CNTs had suffered little damage during processing. The formation of cristobalite initially lead to microcracking but this was successfully suppressed by further additions of alumina. The CNTs suppressed cracking around hardness indentations and substantial crack bridging by the CNTs was observed.

Graphical abstract: Fabrication of carbon-nanotube-reinforced glass–ceramic nanocomposites by ultrasonic in situ sol–gel processing

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
04 Jun 2008
Accepted
05 Aug 2008
First published
09 Oct 2008

J. Mater. Chem., 2008,18, 5344-5349

Fabrication of carbon-nanotube-reinforced glass–ceramic nanocomposites by ultrasonic in situ sol–gel processing

B. T. T. Chu, G. Tobias, C. G. Salzmann, B. Ballesteros, N. Grobert, R. I. Todd and M. L. H. Green, J. Mater. Chem., 2008, 18, 5344 DOI: 10.1039/B809369E

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Spotlight

Advertisements