title: Carbonization with Misfusion: Fundamental Limits of Carbon-Fiber Strength Revisited.
abstract: D-loops, a new type of structural defect in carbon fibers, are presented, which have highly detrimental effect on their mechanical properties and can define a new fundamental upper limit to their strength. These defects form exclusively during polyacrylonitrile carbonization, act as stress concentrators in the graphitic basal plane, and cannot be removed by local annealing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and NanoEngineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA.
authors.forename: Nitant
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and NanoEngineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA.
authors.forename: Vasilii I
authors.initials: VI
authors.lastname: Artyukhov
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and NanoEngineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA.
authors.forename: Evgeni S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Penev
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and NanoEngineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA.
authors.forename: Boris I
authors.initials: BI
authors.lastname: Yakobson
keywords: carbon fibers; defects; graphene; nanomechanics; polyacrylonitrile