Mechanical, thermal and electrical properties of nanostructured CNTs/SiC composites

International audience; Dense SiC-based nanostructured composites reinforced by well-distributed carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were elaborated for the first time by spark plasma sintering (SPS) without sintering additive. Microstructures of materials containing different amounts of CNTs – up to 8.0 vol% – were correlated with their mechanical, electrical and thermal properties. A continuous decrease of the SiC grain size was observed when the amount of CNT was increased, while the evolution of density showed a different behavior that could be explained by the particular combination of SPS technique with the electrical resistivity evolution of the green bodies. Optimal effect of CNTs addition on h…