Multi-walled carbon nanotube–Al2O3 composites: Covalent or non-covalent functionalization for mechanical reinforcement

Anne Kasperski (1) , Alicia Weibel (1) , Claude Estournès (1) , Christophe Laurent (1) , Alain Peigney (1)

1 CIRIMAT - Centre interuniversitaire de recherche et d'ingenierie des matériaux

Multi-walled carbon nanotube–Al2O3 composites are prepared using carbon nanotubes (8 walls, 1.5 lm long or 20 walls, 10 lm long) previously submitted to either covalent or non-covalent functionalization. High-energy sonication mixing, freeze-drying and spark plasma sintering lead to dense composites. The shorter CNTs are better dispersed than the longer ones, whatever the functionalization. Crack-bridging by CNTs is evidenced only when non-covalent functionalization is used and is correlated with a high fracture toughness for composites with the longer CNTs.

Mots clés: Ceramic matrix composites; Alumina; Carbon nanotubes; Microstructure; Toughness

Domaines: Matériaux; Matériaux

Anne Kasperski, Alicia Weibel, Claude Estournès, Christophe Laurent, Alain Peigney. Multi-walled carbon nanotube–Al2O3 composites: Covalent or non-covalent functionalization for mechanical reinforcement. Scripta Materialia, 2014, vol. 75, pp; 46-49. ⟨10.1016/j.scriptamat.2013.11.015⟩. ⟨hal-01130694⟩