Fabrication of reinforced composite material comprising carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, and vapor-grown carbon fibers for thermal barrier materials, structural ceramics, and multifunctional nanocomposite ceramics

A method of protecting a surface of an object with a thermal barrier, the method comprising:

• providing a mixture comprising (a) a ceramic host material and (b) a nanostructured carbon material selected from the group consisting of single-wall carbon nanotubes, multi-wall carbon nanotubes, vapor grown carbon fibers, fullerene molecules, carbon fibrils, buckyonions, nested fullerenes, endohedral fullerenes, metallofullerenes, and combinations thereof;
• heating the mixture so as to form a ceramic nanocomposite having a nanoporous structure;
• and coating the surface of the object with said ceramic nanocomposite.