To cite this version:E. Neubauer, M. Kitzmantel, M. Hulman, P. Angerer. Potential and challenges of metal-matrixcomposites reinforced with carbon nanofibers and carbon nanotubes. Composites Science and Technology, Elsevier, 2010, 70 (16) This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. AbstractWith a continuous improvement of the production techniques for carbon nanofibers and carbon nanotubes along with an improvement of the available qualities of the materials, these reinforcements have been introduced into polymers, ceramics and metals. While in the field of polymers first success stories have been published on carbon nanofiller reinforcements, up to now metals containing these types of nanofillers are still a topic of intensive research. Basically a similar situation were found in those days, when micron sized carbon fibers came on the market. Today many applications of carbon fiber reinforced composites are existing, while metals reinforced with conventional carbon fibers are still only found in niche applications.Several reasons can be identified, why the introduction of carbon based nanofillers (nanofibers/nanotubes) into metallic matrices is a difficult task. Nevertheless it is worthwhile to carry out systematic studies in this field due to the excellent and promising thermal, electrical, mechanical or tribological properties of the nanofillers.This paper gives an overview and summarises the activities related to carbon nanotubes and nanofibers used as a reinforcement in metallic matrix materials. The main challenges and the potential with respect to material properties will be discussed. 1) IntroductionWithin the past years there was a significant increase on publications related to carbon nanofiber (CNF) and carbon nanotube (CNT) reinforced composites. Most of these publications are related to polymer based composites. Up to now there has been a limited number of publications and especially of success stories, where CNTs or CNFs have been successfully introduced in metallic or ceramic matrix materials resulting in significant improvements of the properties of the matrix material. This situation is similar to those several decades ago, when micron sized carbon fibers were already used in commercial applications in polymers while the successful introduction of carbon fibers in metal matrix composites took several additional years before showing first success. The reason why polymer based matrix composites resulted in a faster success compared to metal based ones, is of course related to the fact that a polymer matrix is in general characterised by a rather poor thermal, mechanical, electrical or...

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