| Abstract Scope |
Low-dimensional carbon materials, including nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs), offer attractive mechanical, thermal, and functional properties. However, their integration into coatings remains limited by binder-assisted, liquid-based, or high-temperature processing. Cold spray offers a solid-state alternative for carbon feedstock deposition, yet the physics governing their deposition behavior remains poorly understood. Unlike metallic feedstock, low-dimensional carbon architectures have unique interactions with the accelerating gas and substrate, producing transient transport and impact events that cannot be inferred from post-processing characterization of the coating. In this study, in-situ real-time high-speed imaging of vacuum cold-spray captured the dimensionality-dependent particle transport, impact, and deposition behavior of carbon feedstock. Frame-resolved analysis showed morphology-specific particle trajectories, velocity distributions, and early-stage surface accumulation for nanotubes, platelets, and agglomerates under helium and nitrogen flow. This work establishes an in-situ, morphology-guided framework for understanding the deposition physics of low-dimensional carbon feedstock and correlates feedstock architecture with vacuum cold-spray physics. |