Integration of Carbon and Boron Nitride Nanotubes into Ceramic Materials

Carbon nanotube (CNT) can be conceptualized as a rolled-up sheet of one (or more)- atom-thick layer of graphite, i.e. graphene. Owing to their extraordinary mechanical properties, e.g., tensile strength of up to ~100 GPa, CNTs find applications as additives to various structural materials, such as ceramics. The CNT-reinforced ceramics are capable of overcoming ceramic’s intrinsic brittleness and relatively low fracture toughness by absorbing energy over a large area, and consequently increase the ballistic performance of the ceramic plate.