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

摘要

Carbon nanotubes(CNTs) are fabricated in carbon cloth by ultilizing the waste gasses when fabricating hafnium carbide nanowires(HfC_(NWS)) through thermal pyrolysis of Hf-containing polymer precursor.The formed HfC_(NWS) 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 HfC_(NWS).The released waste gasses containing CO,CH4and CO_(2)are the main carbon source for the growth of CNTs.Specifically,the flexural strength of HfC_(NWS) reinforced carbon/carbon(HfC_(NWS)-C/C) composites is enhanced by ~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.