Study of Early Stages in the Growth of Boron-Doped Diamond on Carbon Fibers

Abstract

With the aim to improve the properties of aeronautical carbon fiber (CF)-reinforced polymer materials, boron-doped diamond (BDD) has been grown on commercial CFs by microwave plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The growth of a BDD layer on CF is expected to increase the mechanical, electrical, and thermal conductivities of the composite. The present contribution reports the different growth stages and their associated nanostructures of the BDD/CF resulting system using transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. The revealed carbon nanostructure shows four steps of growth with the following characteristics: 1) transitional interlayer, 2) graphite nanowall, 3) cauliflower-like nanocrystalline diamond, and 4) microcrystalline diamond.