Advances, Challenges, and Applications of Graphene and Carbon Nanotube-Reinforced Engineering Ceramics

Engineering ceramics and their composites are widely used owing to their excellent properties, including high wear, corrosion and heat resistance, low friction coefficient, and low thermal conductivity; thus, the current paper presents a comprehensive review of the most common types of engineering ceramics, demonstrating their key properties, advantages, potential applications, and challenges. This paper also provides prevailing methods for tackling the engineering ceramic challenges and maximizing their applicability. This review paper focuses on alumina (Al2O3), silicon carbide (SiC), zirconia (ZrO2), aluminum nitride (AlN), and silicon nitride (Si3N4), and explores their usability in automotive, aerospace, and tribological applications. Additionally, the incorporation of reinforcing nanomaterials, i.e., graphene and carbon nanotubes or their combination with second-phase reinforcing nanomaterials in these types of ceramics to improve their physico-mechanical properties is also discussed. By strategically adding these reinforcing materials, the brittleness of ceramics can be mitigated, leading to materials that are more suitable for demanding applications in various high-performance industries.