Unveil the Size-Dependent Mechanical Behaviors of Individual CNT/SiC Composite Nanofibers by In Situ Tensile Tests in SEM.

In situ quantitative tensile tests of individual carbon nanotube (CNT)/SiC core-shell nanofibers are carried out in both a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and a transmission electron microscope (TEM). The incorporation of CNTs into a SiC matrix led to improved elastic modulus and fracture strength of the CNT/SiC nanofibers as compared to SiC alone.