Hybrid composite materials including carbon nanotube sheets and flexible ceramic materials, and methods of making the same are provided herein. In one embodiment, a method of forming a hybrid composite material is provided, the method including: placing a layer of a first flexible ceramic composite on a lay-up tooling surface; applying a sheet of a pre-preg carbon fiber reinforced polymer on the flexible ceramic composite; curing the flexible ceramic composite and the pre-preg carbon fiber reinforced polymer sheet together to form a hybrid composite material; and removing the hybrid composite material from the lay-up tooling surface, wherein the first flexible ceramic composite comprises an exterior surface of the hybrid composite material.

A method of making a ceramic matrix composite (CMC) article by combining a preceramic polymer with one or more sized nanopowders and optional surfactants and/or solvents to form a mixture suitable for 3D printing, depositing the mixture on a mandrel, curing it to form a green body, and pyrolyzing the green body such that the nanocrystalline surface of the CMC article has sufficiently the same surface roughness and figure accuracy of the mandrel to enable the CMC article to be used without further polishing. The mixture can be a paste or slurry that is self supporting and exhibit pseudoplastic rheology. The preceramic polymer is preferably a precursor to SiC, and the nanopowders preferably comprise SiC. The article can be densified by using polymer infiltration pyrolysis, with or without nanoparticles. The curing and pyrolysis of the article can be performed with microwave radiation. An example structure is a gradient density lattice with a mirror surface for use in a cryogenically cooled infrared optical system such as an orbiting space telescope.

A method of manufacturing nuclear fuel elements may include: forming a base portion of the fuel element by depositing a powdered matrix material including a mixture of a graphite material and a fibrous material; depositing particles on the base portion in a predetermined pattern to form a first particle layer, by controlling the position of each particle in the first particle layer; depositing the matrix material on the first particle layer to form a first matrix layer; depositing particles on the first matrix layer in a predetermined pattern to form a second particle layer by controlling positions of each particle in the second particle layer; depositing the matrix material on the second particle layer to form a second matrix layer; and forming a cap portion of the fuel pebble by depositing the matrix material. The particles in the first particle layer and the second particle layer include nuclear fuel particles.

A 3D printing method includes mixing a sintered component which is selected from the group comprising ceramic materials, ceramic material combinations, metal materials, metal material combinations and metal alloys, with at least one surface coating component which is selected from the group comprising boron nitride, graphene, carbon nanotubes, tungsten sulfide, tungsten carbide, molybdenum sulfide, molybdenum carbide, calcium fluoride, caesium molybdenum oxide sulfide, titanium silicon carbide and cerium fluoride, in a powder mixture; and laser sintering or laser melting the powder mixture in a selective laser sintering method or a selective laser melting method.

A method of making a ceramic composite component includes providing a fibrous preform or a plurality of fibers, providing a first plurality of particles, coating the first plurality of particles with a coating to produce a first plurality of coated particles, delivering the first plurality of coated particles to the fibrous preform or to an outer surface of the plurality of fibers, and converting the first plurality of coated particles into refractory compounds. The first plurality of particles or the coating comprises a refractory metal.

Nanoporous selective sol-gel ceramic membranes, selective-membrane structures, and related methods are described. Representative ceramic selective membranes include ion-conductive membranes (e.g., proton-conducting membranes) and gas selective membranes. Representative uses for the membranes include incorporation into fuel cells and redox flow batteries (RFB) as ion-conducting membranes.

The present invention relates to a flame-resistant composite material, in particular a composite material comprising an inorganic matrix and an organic matrix.

The present invention also relates to the method of production of the organic matrix and to the organic matrix, which exhibits a particular resistance to oxidative environments.

Therefore, the composite material according to the present invention finds application where there is a strong oxidation, characteristic of high temperature environments, typically over 700 C., as heat-resistant material, of a fire barrier, or as a material for manufacturing all those artefacts. with operating temperatures between 55 C. and 1200 C. and, for example, with life cycle according to international aeronautical regulations.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphene platelets, or other forms of graphene are incorporated into raw materials before products and product components are manufactured from the materials. For example, CNTs may be incorporated into metallic powders, which can be pressed and sintered into metallic products and product components. CNTs or graphene platelets can also be incorporated into plastics, ceramics, metals, or other materials used to construct products and product components by additive manufacturing. When incorporated into the products and product components, the CNTs or graphene platelets can improve various properties of the products and product components, such as thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity, or structural properties.

Provided herein are methods of making composite materials. The methods may include infiltrating a carbon nanoscale fiber network with a ceramic precursor, curing the ceramic precursor, and/or pyrolyzing the ceramic precursor. The infiltrating, curing, and pyrolyzing steps may be repeated one or more times. Composite materials also are provided that include a ceramic material and carbon nanoscale fibers.

The carbon nanotube pellets according to the present invention are produced by using only a small amount of solvent and have increased apparent density. The present invention can improve the problems of the change of the content generated by scattering of powders and safety issues by using carbon nanotubes in the form of pellet rather than carbon nanotubes in the form of powder in composite materials. And since the density of the pellet form is higher than that of the powder form, transport, transfer and improvement become easier. Therefore, it can be more effectively applied to the manufacturing of composite materials.