Scalable multiple-inverse diffusion flame burner for synthesis and processing of carbon-based and other nanostructured materials and films and fuels
Apparatus and methods of use thereof for the production of carbon-based and other nanostructures, as well as fuels and reformed products, are provided.
1. A multiple inverse-diffusion flame (IDF) method to fabricate strengthened composites, comprising the steps of:
a) depositing Fe or other catalyst on a substrate by thermal decomposition of a metalorganic precursor;
b) depositing a thin coat of a hard material on the Fe or catalyst-coated substrate by low-temperature thermal decomposition of a hydrocarbon precursor; and
c) depositing a thicker coat of the hard material on the thin-coated substrate by high-temperature thermal decomposition of a hydrocarbon precursor.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the thin coating of step b) and thicker coating of step c) are of a hard material selected from the group consisting of diamond, SiC, TiC, B 4 C, and cubic-BN.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metalorganic precursor is a volatile Fe-rich compound.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein said Fe-rich compound is iron pentcarbonyl or ferrocene.
5. The method of claim 1 , where thermal decomposition of the metalorganic precursor yields a deposit of nanocrystalline Fe or other catalyst on the substrate.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrocarbon precursor is a volatile C-rich compound.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the C-rich compound is methane or ethylene.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein low-temperature thermal decomposition of the hydrocarbon precursor yields a thin deposit of nanocrystalline diamond on the Fe-coated substrate.
9. The method of claim 8 , where the nanocrystalline diamond serves as a substrate for high-temperature thermal decomposition of the hydrocarbon precursor to develop an overlay coating of textured microcrystalline diamond.
10. The method of claim 1 , where the substrate is a fiber material.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the fiber material is C or SiC.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a film/sheet material.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the film/sheet material comprises a polymer, metal, or ceramic.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein said fabricate strengthened composite is a fiber-reinforced polymer-matrix composites (PMCs), metal-matrix composites (MMCs), or ceramic-matrix composites (CMCs) with diamond-coated fibers.
15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the polymer-, metal-, or ceramic-matrix composites are laminated with diamond/graphene-coated film/sheet materials.
16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the fiber materials are woven-fiber materials and wherein the resultant composites contain residual porosity.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the residual porosity is filled by pressure-infiltration of a compatible liquid phase.
18. The method of claim 10 , wherein the fiber materials are woven-fiber materials and wherein the woven-fiber materials are infiltrated with a hard material selected from the group consisting of diamond, SiC, TiC, B 4 C, and cubic-BN by varying the gas flow rate to obtain uniform through-thickness deposition.
19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the substrate is carbon nanotubes (CNTs) or silicon-carbide nanotubes (SiCNTs).
20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising fabricating D/CNT-reinforced PMCs or D/SiCNT-reinforced CMCs from the diamond-coated CNTs or SiCNTs.
21. The method of claim 19 , further comprising removing the CNT component of the diamond-coated CNT by selective gasification in a hydrogen-rich gas stream, thereby forming diamond nanotubes (DNTs).
22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the DNTs reinforce PMCs or CMCs.