In situ carbon nanotube reinforcements in a plasma-sprayed aluminum oxide nanocomposite coating

Abstract Carbon nanotubes (CNT) are potential reinforcements for toughening the ceramic matrix. The critical issue of avoiding CNT agglomeration and introducing CNT-matrix anchoring has challenged many researchers to improve the mechanical properties of the CNT reinforced nanocomposite. In the current work, dispersed CNTs are grown on Al 2 O 3 powder particles in situ by the catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CCVD) technique. Consequently, 0.5 wt.% CNT-reinforced Al 2 O 3 particles were successfully plasma sprayed to obtain a 400 μm thick coating on the steel substrate. In situ CNTs grown on Al 2 O 3 shows a promising enhancement in hardness and fracture toughness of the plasma-sprayed coating attributed to the existence of strong metallurgical bonding between Al 2 O 3 particles and CNTs. In addition, CNT tentacles have imparted multi-directional reinforcement in securing the Al 2 O 3 splats. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy shows interfacial fusion between Al 2 O 3 and CNT and the formation of Y-junction nanotubes.