Nanotechnology has become a very popular field for endeavour, embracing biology, chemistry, materials science, engineering, and physics. The interdisciplinary nature of the subject has fostered strong links, opening up new avenues of basic and applied research. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have assumed an important role in this context, because of their fascinating chemical and physical properties; thus exhibiting considerable potential for e.g. reinforced composites, nanoelectromechanical systems, and numerous other applications. Here we describe a novel route to nanocomposites consisting of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) embedded in amorphous SiO2. State-of-the-art transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to characterise the material. Based on our observations, we propose theoretical models accounting for stable SiOx/tube interfaces using density functional based tight binding (DFTB).

Keywords: nanotubes, SiO2, SiOx, composites, caramic matrix