Tribological properties of carbon nanotube-doped carbon/carbon composites

Carbon nanotube (CNT)-doped carbon/carbon (C/C) composites were fabricated by the chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) method to investigate the effect of CNTs on tribological properties of C/C composites. CNTs, which had been synthesized by catalytic pyrolysis of hydrocarbons, were added to carbon fiber formed preforms before CVI process. Ring-on-block-type wear tests were performed to evaluate the frictional properties of CNT-doped C/C composites. Results show that CNTs can not only increase wear resistance of C/C composites but also maintain stable friction coefficients under different loads. Polarized light microscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy analyses demonstrate that favorable effects of CNTs on tribological properties of C/C composites have been achieved indirectly by altering microstructure of pyrocarbons and directly by serving as high-strength lubricative frictional media at the same time. Electron dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analyses verify the existence of adhesive wear mechanism in both pure C/C composites and CNT-doped C/C composites albeit the two-body abrasive mechanism dominates in pure C/C composites.