Carbon nanofibers and their composites: A review of synthesizing, properties and applications

Materials

Volumn 7, Issue 5, 2014, Pages 3919-3945

  Feng, Lichao ^a,b,c,d   Xie, Ning ^b   Zhong, Jing ^b  

^a HUAIHAI INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY   (China)

^b HARBIN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY   (China)

^c Jiangsu Marine Resources Development Research Institute   (China)

^d Research and Development Department Lianyungang Zhongfu Lianzhong Composites Group Co Ltd   (China)

Author keywords

Batteries; Carbon nanofibers; Composites; Dispersion; Fractal; Modeling; Percolation; Properties; Sensors

Indexed keywords

ASPECT RATIO; CARBON NANOFIBERS; CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION; COMPOSITE MATERIALS; DISPERSION (WAVES); DISPERSIONS; FRACTALS; MECHANICAL PROPERTIES; MODELS; PERCOLATION (SOLID STATE); SENSORS; SOLAR CELLS; SOLVENTS;

CATALYTIC CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION; ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY; ELECTRICAL TRANSPORT; FRACTAL CHARACTERISTICS; FUNDAMENTAL SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH; PERCOLATION BACKBONE; PREPARATION METHOD; PROPERTIES;

ELECTRIC PROPERTIES;

BATTERIES; CARBON FIBERS; COMPOSITES; DISPERSIONS; ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES; PERCOLATION; SOLAR CELLS; SOLVENTS;

EID: 84902603217     PISSN: None     EISSN: 19961944     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.3390/ma7053919     Document Type: Review

References (85)

1. Huang, X. Fabrication and properties of carbon fibers. Materials 2009, 2, 2369-2403.
2. Xiang, C.; Behabtu, N.; Liu, Y.; Chae, H.G.; Young, C.C.; Genorio, B.; Tour, J.M. Graphene nanoribbons as an advanced precursor for making carbon fiber. ACS Nano 2013, 7, 1628-1637.
3. Lu, W.; Zu, M.; Byun, J.H.; Kim, B.S.; Chou, T.W. State of the art of carbon nanotube fibers: Opportunities and challenges. Adv. Mater. 2012, 24, 1805-1833.
4. Chand, S. Review carbon fibers for composites. J. Mater. Sci. 2000, 35, 1303-1313.
5. Wangxi, Z.; Jie, L.; Gang, W. Evolution of structure and properties of PAN precursors during their conversion to carbon fibers. Carbon 2003, 41, 2805-2812.
6. Vilaplana, J.L.; Baeza, F.J.; Galao, O.; Zornoza, E.; Garcés, P. Self-sensing properties of alkali activated blast furnace slag (BFS) composites reinforced with carbon fibers. Materials 2013, 6, 4776-4786.
7. Baeza, F.J.; Galao, O.; Zornoza, E.; Garcés, P. Multifunctional cement composites strain and damage sensors applied on reinforced concrete (RC) structural elements. Materials 2013, 6, 841-855.
8. Endo, M.; Kim, Y.A.; Hayashi, T.; Nishimura, K.; Matusita, T.; Miyashita, K.; Dresselhaus, M.S. Vapor-grown carbon fibers (VGCFs): Basic properties and their battery applications. Carbon 2001, 39, 1287-1297.
9. Du, J.H.; Sun, C.; Bai, S.; Su, G.; Ying, Z.; Cheng, H.M. Microwave electromagnetic characteristics of a microcoiled carbon fibers/paraffin wax composite in Ku band. J. Mater. Res. 2002, 17, 1232-1236.
10. Wu, F.Y.; Du, J.H.; Liu, C.G.; Li, L.X.; Cheng, H.M. The microstructure and energy storage characteristics of micro-coiled carbon fibers. New Carbon Mater. 2004, 19, 81-86.
11. Ge, M.; Sattler, K. Observation of fullerene cones. Chem. Phys. Lett. 1994, 220, 192-196.
12. De Jong, K.P.; Geus, J.W. Carbon nanofibers: Catalytic synthesis and applications. Catal. Rev. 2000, 42, 481-510.
13. Kim, Y.A.; Hayashi T.; Endo, M.; Dresselhaus, M.S. Carbon nanofibers. In Springer Handbook of Nanomaterials; Vajtai, R., Ed.; Springer: Berlin/Heidelberg, Germany, 2013; pp. 233-262.
14. Terrones, H.; Hayashi, T.; Munoz-Navia, M.; Terrones, M.; Kim, Y.A.; Grobert, N.; Kamalakaranf, R.; Dorantes-Dávilad, J.; Escuderog, R.; Dresselhaush, M.S.; et al. Graphitic cones in palladium catalysed carbon nanofibres. Chem. Phys. Lett. 2001, 343, 241-250.
15. Zheng, R.; Zhao, Y.; Liu, H.; Liang, C.; Cheng, G. Preparation, characterization and growth mechanism of platelet carbon nanofibers. Carbon 2006, 44, 742-746.
16. Inagaki, M.; Yang, Y.; Kang, F. Carbon nanofibers prepared via electrospinning. Adv. Mater. 2012, 24, 2547-2566.
17. Zhang, L.; Aboagye, A.; Kelkar, A.; Lai, C.; Fong, H. A review: Carbon nanofibers from electrospun polyacrylonitrile and their applications. J. Mater. Sci. 2014, 49, 463-480.
18. Sánchez, M.; Rams, J.; Campo, M.; Jiménez-Suárez, A.; Ureña, A. Characterization of carbon nanofiber/epoxy nanocomposites by the nanoindentation technique. Compos. B Eng. 2011, 42, 638-644.
19. Sandler, J.; Werner, P.; Shaffer, M.S.; Demchuk, V.; Altstädt, V.; Windle, A.H. Carbon-nanofibre-reinforced poly (ether ether ketone) composites. Compos. A Appl. Sci. Manuf. 2002, 33, 1033-1039.
20. Lozano, K.; Bonilla-Rios, J.; Barrera, E.V. A study on nanofiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites (II): Investigation of the mixing rheology and conduction properties. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2001, 80, 1162-1172.
21. Tibbetts, G.G.; Finegan, I.C.; Kwag, C. Mechanical and electrical propertiesof vapor-grown carbon fiber thermoplastic composites. Mol. Cryst. Liq. Cryst. 2002, 387, 129-133.
22. Yang, B.; Sato, M.; Kuriyama, T.; Inoue, T. Improvement of a gram-scale mixer for polymer blending. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2006, 99, 1-5.
23. Al-Saleh, M.H.; Sundararaj, U. A review of vapor grown carbon nanofiber/polymer conductive composites. Carbon 2009, 47, 2-22.
24. Lee, B.O.; Woo, W.J.; Park, H.S.; Hahm, H.S.; Wu, J.P.; Kim, M.S. Influence of aspect ratio and skin effect on EMI shielding of coating materials fabricated with carbon nanofiber/PVDF. J. Mater. Sci. 2002, 37, 1839-1843.
25. Li, J.; Vergne, M.J.; Mowles, E.D.; Zhong, W.H.; Hercules, D.M.; Lukehart, C.M. Surface functionalization and characterization of graphitic carbon nanofibers (GCNFs). Carbon 2005, 43, 2883-2893.
26. Kelarakis, A.; Yoon, K.; Somani, R.H.; Chen, X.; Hsiao, B.S.; Chu, B. Rheological study of carbon nanofiber induced physical gelation in polyolefin nanocomposite melt. Polymer 2005, 46, 11591-11599.
27. Pervin, F.; Zhou, Y.; Rangari, V.K.; Jeelani, S. Testing and evaluation on the thermal and mechanical properties of carbon nano fiber reinforced SC-15 epoxy. Mater. Sci. Eng. A 2005, 405, 246-253.
28. Choi, Y.K.; Gotoh, Y.; Sugimoto, K.I.; Song, S.M.; Yanagisawa, T.; Endo, M. Processing and characterization of epoxy nanocomposites reinforced by cup-stacked carbon nanotubes. Polymer 2005, 46, 11489-11498.
29. Nan, C.W. Physics of inhomogeneous inorganic materials. Prog. Mater. Sci. 1993, 37, 1-116.
30. Stauffer, D.; Aharony, A. Introduction to Percolation Theory, 2nd ed.; Taylor and Francis: Boca Raton, FL, USA, 1994.
31. Kogut, P.M.; Straley, J.P. Distribution-induced non-universality of the percolation conductivity exponents. J. Phys. C Solid State Phys. 1979, 12, 2151-2159.
32. Balberg, I. Tunneling and nonuniversal conductivity in composite materials. Phys. Rev. Lett. 1987, 59, 1305-1308.
33. Balberg, I. A comprehensive picture of the electrical phenomena in carbon black-polymer composites. Carbon 2002, 40, 139-143.
34. Last, B.J.; Thouless, D.J. Percolation theory and electrical conductivity. Phys. Rev. Lett. 1971, 27, 1719-1721.
35. Webman, I.; Jortner, J.; Cohen, M.H. Numerical simulation of electrical conductivity in microscopically inhomogeneous materials. Phys. Rev. B 1975, 11, 2885-2892.
36. Aharoni, S.M. Electrical resistivity of a composite of conducting particles in an insulating matrix. J. Appl. Phys. 1972, 43, 2463-2465.
37. Rajagopal, C.; Satyam, M. Studies on electrical conductivity of insulator-conductor composites. J. Appl. Phys. 1978, 49, 5536-5542.
38. Lux, F. Models proposed to explain the electrical conductivity of mixtures made of conductive and insulating materials. J. Mater. Sci. 1993, 28, 285-301.
39. Kirkpatrick, S. Percolation and conductivity. Rev. Mod. Phys. 1973, 45, 574-588.
40. Clerc, J.P.; Giraud, G.; Laugier, J.M.; Luck, J.M. The electrical conductivity of binary disordered systems, percolation clusters, fractals and related models. Adv. Phys. 1990, 39, 191-309.
41. McLachlan, D.S.; Blaszkiewicz, M.; Newnham, R.E. Electrical resistivity of composites. J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 1990, 73, 2187-2203.
42. Porto, M.; Bunde, A.; Havlin, S.; Roman, H.E. Structural and dynamical properties of the percolation backbone in two and three dimensions. Phys. Rev. E 1997, 56, 1667-1675.
43. Ki, D.Y.; Woo, K.Y.; Lee, S.B. Static and dynamic properties of the backbone network for the irreversible kinetic gelation model. Phys. Rev. E 2000, 62, 821-827.
44. Paul, G.; Buldyrev, S.V.; Dokholyan, N.V.; Havlin, S.; King, P.R.; Lee, Y.; Stanley, H.E. Dependence of conductance on percolation backbone mass. Phys. Rev. E 2000, 61, 3435-3440.
45. Shao, W.Z.; Xie, N.; Zhen, L.; Feng, L.C. Conductivity critical exponents lower than the universal value in continuum percolation systems. J. Phys. Condens. Matter 2008, 20, 395235:1-395235:5.
46. Xie, N.; Shi, X.; Feng, D.; Kuang, B.; Li, H. Percolation backbone structure analysis in electrically conductive carbon fiber reinforced cement composites. Compos. B Eng. 2012, 43, 3270-3275.
47. Xie, N.; Shao, W.; Feng, L.; Lv, L.; Zhen, L. Fractal analysis of disordered conductor-insulator composites with different conductor backbone structures near percolation threshold. J. Phys. Chem. C 2012, 116, 19517-19525.
48. Stauffer, D. Introduction to Percolation Theory; Taylor and Francis: Boca Raton, FL, USA, 1985.
49. Wu, Z.; López, E.; Buldyrev, S.V.; Braunstein, L.A.; Havlin, S.; Stanley, H.E. Current flow in random resistor networks: The role of percolation in weak and strong disorder. Phys. Rev. E 2005, 71, 045101:1-045101:4.
50. Boiteux, G.; Seytre, G. Fractal analysis of the percolation network in epoxy-polypyrrole composites. Phys. Rev. B 1997, 56, 5207.
51. Viswanathan, R.; Heaney, M.B. Direct imaging of the percolation network in a three-dimensional disordered conductor-insulator composite. Phys. Rev. Lett. 1995, 75, 4433-4436.
52. Jäger, K.M.; Mcqueen, D.H. Fractal agglomerates and electrical conductivity in carbon black polymer composites. Polymer 2001, 42, 9575-9581.
53. Salome, L.; Carmona, F. Fractal structure study of carbon blacks used as conducting polymer fillers. Carbon 1991, 29, 599-604.
54. Herrmann, H.J.; Hong, D.C.; Stanley, H.E. Backbone and elastic backbone of percolation clusters obtained by the new method of "burning". J. Phys. A Math. General. 1984, 17, L261-L266.
55. Cui, Y.; Liu, C.; Hu, S.; Yu, X. The experimental exploration of carbon nanofiber and carbon nanotube additives on thermal behavior of phase change materials. Solar Energy Mater. Solar Cells 2011, 95, 1208-1212.
56. Teng, C.C.; Ma, C.C.M.; Cheng, B.D.; Shih, Y.F.; Chen, J.W.; Hsiao, Y.K. Mechanical and thermal properties of polylactide-grafted vapor-grown carbon nanofiber/polylactide nanocomposites. Compos. A Appl. Sci. Manuf. 2011, 42, 928-934.
57. Mahanta, N.K.; Abramson, A.R.; Lake, M.L.; Burton, D.J.; Chang, J.C.; Mayer, H.K.; Ravine, J.L. Thermal conductivity of carbon nanofiber mats. Carbon 2010, 48, 4457-4465.
58. Yu, W.; Choi, S.U.S. The role of interfacial layers in the enhanced thermal conductivity of nanofluids: A renovated maxwell model. J. Nanopart. Res. 2003, 5, 167-171.
59. Feng, L.C.; Shao, W.Z.; Zhen, L.; Xie, N.; Ivanov, V.V. Cu2O/Cu cermet as a candidate inert anode for Al production. Int. J. Appl. Ceram. Technol. 2007, 4, 453-462.
60. Chu, K.; Li, W.S.; Jia, C.C.; Tang, F.L. Thermal conductivity of composites with hybrid carbon nanotubes and graphene nanoplatelets. Appl. Phys. Lett. 2012, 101, 211903.
61. Yu, A.; Ramesh, P.; Sun, X.; Bekyarova, E.; Itkis, M.E.; Haddon, R.C. Enhanced thermal conductivity in a hybrid graphite nanoplatelet-carbon nanotube filler for epoxy composites. Adv. Mater. 2008, 20, 4740-4744.
62. Zellen, R. The Physics of Amorphous Solids; Wiley: New York, NY, USA, 1983.
63. Ma, Y.; Yu, B.; Zhang, D.; Zou, M. Fractal geometry model for effective thermal conductivity of three-phase porous media. J. Appl. Phys. 2004, 95, 6426-6434.
64. Coleman, S.W.; Vassilicos, J.C. Transport properties of saturated and unsaturated porous fractal materials. Phys. Rev. Lett. 2008, 100, 035504:1-035504:4.
65. Al-Saleh, M.H.; Sundararaj, U. Review of the mechanical properties of carbon nanofiber/polymer composites. Compos. A Appl. Sci. Manuf. 2011, 42, 2126-2142.
66. Bortz, D.R.; Merino, C.; Martin-Gullon, I. Carbon nanofibers enhance the fracture toughness and fatigue performance of a structural epoxy system. Compos. Sci. Technol. 2011, 71, 31-38.
67. Barick, A.K.; Tripathy, D.K. Effect of nanofiber on material properties of vapor-grown carbon nanofiber reinforced thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU/CNF) nanocomposites prepared by melt compounding. Compos. A Appl. Sci. Manuf. 2010, 41, 1471-1482.
68. Bal, S. Experimental study of mechanical and electrical properties of carbon nanofiber/epoxy composites. Mater. Des. 2010, 31, 2406-2413.
69. Esawi, A.M.K.; Morsi, K.; Sayed, A.; Taher, M.; Lanka, S. Effect of carbon nanotube (CNT) content on the mechanical properties of CNT-reinforced aluminium composites. Compos. Sci. Technol. 2010, 70, 2237-2241.
70. Cox, H.L. The elasticity and strength of paper and other fibrous materials. Br. J. Appl. Phys. 1952, 3, 72-79.
71. Omidi, M.; Rokni, D.T.H.; Milani, A.S.; Seethaler, R.J.; Arasteh, R. Prediction of the mechanical characteristics of multi-walled carbon nanotube/epoxy composites using a new form of the rule of mixtures. Carbon 2010, 48, 3218-3228.
72. Goyal, R.K.; Tiwari, A.N.; Negi, Y.S. Microhardness of PEEK/ceramic micro-and nanocomposites: Correlation with Halpin-Tsai model. Mater. Sci. Eng. A 2008, 491, 230-236.
73. Affdl, J.C.; Kardos, J.L. The Halpin-Tsai equations: A review. Polym. Eng. Sci. 1976, 16, 344-352.
74. Rafiee, M.A.; Rafiee, J.; Wang, Z.; Song, H.; Yu, Z.Z.; Koratkar, N. Enhanced mechanical properties of nanocomposites at low graphene content. ACS Nano 2009, 3, 3884-3890.
75. Ramakrishnan, N.; Arunachalam, V.S. Effective elastic moduli of porous ceramic materials. J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 1993, 76, 2745-2752.
76. Jean-François, S.; Vincent, C.; Heintz, J.; Chandra, N. Novel processing and characterization of Cu/CNF nanocomposite for high thermal conductivity applications. Compos. Sci. Technol. 2009, 69, 2474-2484.
77. Lu, H.B.; Liu, Y.; Gou, J.; Leng, J.; Du, S. Synergistic effect of carbon nanofiber and carbon nanopaper on shape memory polymer composite. Appl. Phys. Lett. 2010, 96, 084102:1-084102:3.
78. Zhu, J.; Wei, S.; Ryu, J.; Guo, Z. Strain-sensing elastomer/carbon nanofiber "metacomposites". J. Phys. Chem. C 2011, 115, 13215-13222.
79. Li, L.; Li, J.; Lukehart, C.M. Graphitic carbon nanofiber-poly (acrylate) polymer brushes as gas sensors. Sens. Actuators B Chem. 2008, 130, 783-788.
80. Jang, J.; Bae, J. Carbon nanofiber/polypyrrole nanocable as toxic gas sensor. Sens. Actuators B Chem. 2007, 122, 7-13.
81. Ji, L.; Lin, Z.; Medford, A.J.; Zhang, X. Porous carbon nanofibers from electrospun polyacrylonitrile/SiO2 composites as an energy storage material. Carbon 2009, 47, 3346-3354.
82. Qie, L.; Chen, W.M.; Wang, Z.H.; Shao, Q.G.; Li, X.; Yuan, L.X.; Hu, X.L.; Zhang, W.X.; Huang, Y.H. Nitrogen-doped porous carbon nanofiber webs as anodes for lithium ion batteries with a superhigh capacity and rate capability. Adv. Mater. 2012, 24, 2047-2050.
83. Fan, Z.J.; Yan, J.; Wei, T.; Ning, G.Q.; Zhi, L.J.; Liu, J.C.; Cao, D.X.; Wang, G.L.; Wei, F. Nanographene-constructed carbon nanofibers grown on graphene sheets by chemical vapor deposition: High-performance anode materials for lithium ion batteries. ACS Nano 2011, 5, 2787-2794.
84. Lee, B.S.; Seo, J.H.; Son, S.B.; Kim, S.C.; Choi, I.S.; Ahn, J.P.; Oh, K.H.; Lee, S.H.; Yu, W.R. Face-centered-cubic lithium crystals formed in mesopores of carbon nanofiber electrodes. ACS Nano 2013, 7, 5801-5807.
85. Zheng, G.; Yang, Y.; Cha, J.J.; Hong, S.S.; Cui, Y. Hollow carbon nanofiber-encapsulated sulfur cathodes for high specific capacity rechargeable lithium batteries. Nano Lett. 2011, 11, 4462-4467.