Chapter 18 - Graphene: A prime choice for ceramic composites

Abstract

Ceramics are a popular choice for traditional industrial sectors such as machinery, chemical engineering, and metallurgy because of their chemical inertness, resistance to environmental oxidation and corrosion, exceptional hardness, and strength. To further strengthen their properties, a ceramic matrix composite is a popular choice. Nanoparticles, nanofibers and nanowhiskers are added to the ceramic matrix to improve its properties. Recently, after the advent of graphene, it has been used relentlessly for delivering composites with excellent properties. Graphene offers a combination of exceptional properties such as high specific surface area, excellent mechanical properties, and high electrical conductivity, due to which it shows great promise as a nanofiller in composite materials. Graphene has proved itself a good reinforcement material in ceramic composites. Graphene-ceramic composites, due to their impressive properties over traditional ceramics, have been intensively studied for multifunctional applications. However, graphene can be used for wide variety of applications only if it is homogenously incorporated into ceramic matrices. Thus, to tailor ceramic composites with desired properties, a suitable processing route plays an important role. This chapter focuses on: (i) the synthesis and processing of graphene ceramic matrix composites, and (ii) the effects of graphene on properties of graphene ceramic matrix composites. The percolation phenomenon along with toughening mechanisms is also discussed briefly. Future prospects of graphene ceramic composites are also discussed.