Mechanical and electrical properties of aligned carbon nanotube/carbon matrix composites

To synthesize carbon nanotube/carbon matrix (CNT/C) composites rivaling or exceeding the mechanical and electrical properties of current carbon fiber/carbon matrix composites, it is essential to align carbon nanotubes in the composite. In this work, we fabricated CNT/polyacrylonitrile (PAN) precursor composites with high degree of CNT alignment, and carbonized and graphitized them at high temperatures. Carbonizing the precursor composites significantly improved their elastic modulus, strength, and electrical conductivity. The matrix was uniformly carbonized and highly graphitized. The excellent mechanical and electrical properties make the CNT/C composites promising for many high temperature aerospace applications.