Boosting the Ceramics with In Situ MOF-Derived Nanocarbons

Metal–organic framework (MOF)-derived nanocarbons have emerged as promising materials for energy and environmental applications owing to their high surface area, structural and chemical tunability, and hierarchical porosity. Although various carbon-based materials such as graphene and carbon nanotubes have been extensively used as secondary sintering additives to develop advanced ceramics with improved mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties, the potential of MOF-derived nanocarbon-based materials has not been explored. Here, we report the first use of MOF-derived nanocarbons as a reinforcement phase in ceramic composites. To this end, Al2O3 and zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-8) are used as the ceramic matrix and nanocarbon source, respectively. The ceramic composites are produced by densifying Al2O3 and ZIF-8 powder mixtures using spark plasma sintering (SPS) at 1550 °C and uniaxial pressure of 50 MPa. The fracture toughness of the composite increases up to 67% in comparison to an alumina monolith as ZIF-derived nanocarbons form interlayers to assist the dissipation of energy during the crack propagation and inhibit grain growth. The room-temperature electrical conductivity of the sintered samples drastically increases with the in situ formed nanocarbon-based fillers, reaching as high as 1410 S/m for 10 wt % ZIF-8 content. These results constitute an excellent initial step toward boosting the mechanical and electrical properties of ceramic matrix composites with in situ MOF-derived nanocarbons.