Dispersion of Carbon Nanotubes in Polysilazanes for the Preparation of Reinforced Si-C-N Composites

Abstract

The present contribution reports two different approaches to achieve a good dispersion of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) in a precursor-derived Si-C-N matrix, which represents an important prerequisite for attaining a high-performance material. The first approach involves the use of SWCNTs covalently functionalized by disilazane groups, aiming at enhanced interfacial interaction between the nanotube surface and the matrix. Within the second approach, the effect of an electrical field applied in the cross-linking step during the nanocomposite synthesis was studied toward the task of dispersing and simultaneously aligning the SWCNTs in the Si-C-N matrix.