Recent Advances on Carbon Nanotubes and Graphene Reinforced Ceramics Nanocomposites

Abstract

Ceramics suffer the curse of extreme brittleness and demand new design philosophies and novel concepts of manufacturing to overcome such intrinsic drawbacks, in order to take advantage of most of their excellent properties. This has been one of the foremost challenges for ceramic material experts. Tailoring the ceramics structures at nanometre level has been a leading research frontier; whilst upgrading via reinforcing ceramic matrices with nanomaterials including the latest carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene has now become an eminent practice for advanced applications. Most recently, several new strategies have indeed improved the properties of the ceramics/CNT nanocomposites, such as by tuning with dopants, new dispersions routes and modified sintering methods. The utilisation of graphene in ceramic nanocomposites, either as a solo reinforcement or as a hybrid with CNTs, is the newest development. This article will summarise the recent advances, key difficulties and potential applications of the ceramics nanocomposites reinforced with CNTs and graphene.

Investigation of the Mechanical Properties and Microstructure of Graphene Nanoplatelet-Cement Composite

“…In recent years, some studies have demonstrated that the introduction of graphene can remarkably enhance the mechanical properties of ceramic and cement composites [36,37,38]. It is a key precondition for higher reinforcement of GNP–cement composite to disperse GNPs into cement matrix uniformly.…”

Research on the interface properties and strengthening–toughening mechanism of nanocarbon-toughened ceramic matrix composites

“…It's worth noting that the best interface strength is not the strongest but the most appropriate. Some weak and strong interfaces are unable to reinforce ceramics [33,69,70].…”

Toughening mechanisms and mechanical properties of graphene nanosheet-reinforced alumina

“…Earlier attempts to produce Al 2 O 3 -based composites containing ceramic or metallic whiskers, fibers or particulates could not satisfy the requirement of their direct use as structural components [5,6]. Incorporation of carbon nanotubes (CNT) into Al 2 O 3 has, to a certain extent, led to improvements in toughness, strength and other mechanical properties in recent years [7][8][9][10][11]. However, the exceptional strength and elasticity associated with onedimensional CNT still could not be fully exploited for Al 2 O 3 due to technical challenges including CNT agglomeration, inadequate densification processes and poor Al 2 O 3 /CNT interfacial strength [12][13][14].…”