The Rising of Flexible and Elastic Ceramic Fiber Materials: Fundamental Concept, Design Principle, and Toughening Mechanism

Abstract

Traditional ceramic materials are suboptimal for use in complex environments because of their brittleness and sensitivity to flaws. As such, developing flexible and elastic ceramic materials is extremely urgent in frontier domains where high-frequency vibration or high-intensity bending environments are inevitable. Fibrillation of ceramic materials is an effective way for the transition of brittleness to flexibility and elasticity, due to its ability to absorb and dissipate stresses through large axial deformations. Here, a comprehensive review of the newly emerging flexible and elastic ceramic fiber materials is presented, starting from an introduction to the fundamental concept, followed by an in-depth analysis of the relationship between their microstructures and mechanical behaviors, laying emphasis on the toughening mechanism of both individual fibers and fiber assemblies. Finally, current challenges and future development are demonstrated. It is expected that this review may provide meaningful guidance for the advancement of ceramic fiber materials toward better performance and brighter prospects.

Fibrous MXene Aerogels with Tunable Pore Structures for High-Efficiency Desalination of Contaminated Seawater

“…The mechanical properties of the pore structures are particularly vital to the stability as well as service life of the aerogels [ 49 ]. Therefore, we further tested the strength and modulus of the c -FMAs and l -FMAs, as well as their relationship with different pore structures.…”

“…Moreover, in contrast to the present MXene aerogels, our FMAs manifested desirable compressive performance, which could withstand a considerable strain (80%) without failure (Figs. 3 d and S3b) [ 49 – 51 ]. Interestingly, the l -FMAs exhibited lower compressive stress and greater tendency to drop in pressure at the beginning of the unloading process than the c -FMAs, probably due to the lack of effective interlayer support, which demonstrated that the former was softer, while the latter were like an elastomer.…”

High Toughness Combined with High Strength in Oxide Ceramic Nanofibers

“…[ 1–3 ] Despite the glorious history of this ancient material, it should be noted that all oxide ceramics are inherently fragile when subjected to shear and tensile stress, exhibiting a typical brittle behavior and extremely small deformations, and these intrinsic drawbacks seriously limit their applications in the cutting‐edge fields. [ 4–6 ] Compared to the conventional oxide ceramic plates or blocks, 1D oxide ceramic fibers are expected to withstand larger external stress through the axial accumulation of local micro‐deformations owing to the advantages such as large aspect ratio and good continuity, thus significantly improving the flexibility. Furthermore, the oxide ceramic fibers also combine high‐temperature resistance and good photoelectric properties of oxide ceramics with the excellent thermal/electrical transport characteristics of fibers, and play a vital role in automotive, aerospace, and energy conversion systems.…”

WS2–Polyaniline Nanohybrid Materials for High-External Quantum Efficiency Photoelectric Devices Utilized in Flexible Electronics

“…29−32 It can be challenging to achieve flexibility, especially in typically hard materials like metals or ceramics. 33 Flexible plastics, elastomers, and nanomaterials are just a few of the methods and materials engineers and scientists have created to make flexible structures and devices. 7 Flexibility could negatively affect the material performance or the durability of the device.…”