Two birds with one stone: Simultaneous fabrication of HfC nanowires and CNTs through efficient utilization of polymer-derived ceramics

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are fabricated in carbon cloth by ultilizing the waste gasses when fabricating hafnium carbide nanowires (HfCNWs) through thermal pyrolysis of Hf-containing polymer precursor. The formed HfCNWs are distributed uniformly on the surface of the carbon fibers in carbon/carbon (C/C) composites and display perfect single crystal appearance. The pyrolysis of the Hf-containing organic precursor provides hafnium and carbon source for the growth of HfCNWs. The released waste gasses containing CO, CH4 and CO2 are the main carbon source for the growth of CNTs. Specifically, the flexural strength of HfCNWs reinforced carbon/carbon (HfCNWs-C/C) composites is enhanced by similar to 105% compared with pure C/C, and the CNTs/carbon cloth also displays improved electrochemical performance with respect to capacitor applications. The present study introduces a novel sustainable and eco-friendly process related to polymer-derived ceramics to form advanced ceramic nanocomposites and proposes a deep understanding of the growth mechanism of CNTs. (C) 2022 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The editorial office of Journal of Materials Science & Technology.

Automated summary

In this study, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were fabricated using waste gases and formed HfCNWs-C/C composites and CNTs/carbon cloth. The HfCNWs reinforced composites showed improved strength, and the CNTs/carbon cloth exhibited enhanced electrochemical performance.