Interfacial nanostructure dictates macro-structural properties of carbon-carbon composites

Carbon-carbon composites, originally developed for aerospace applications, are materials that consist of a carbonaceous matrix with an embedded carbon filler providing the required reinforcement for thermal and mechanical stability. An important aspect of composites is the interdependence of the matrix and additive phases to strengthen one another and the material as a whole with the interfacial stress transfer being key to this reinforcement. The bonding between the matrix and the additive is crucial in understanding its behavior at the macro-scale. Understanding the material's nanostructure to shed light on its interfacial dynamics is an unexplored aspect owing to experimental and probing challenges. This study attempts to probe nanostructure impact on carbon-carbon composites by embedding pre-synthesized nano-carbons with diverse morphology - 1 -dimensional nanotubes, and 2-dimensional graphene sheets - in an amorphous carbonaceous matrix of varying chemistry.