Characterizing the Conductivity and Enhancing the Piezoresistivity of Carbon Nanotube-Polymeric Thin Films

Yingjun Zhao,Martin Schagerl,Christoph Viechtbauer,Kenneth Loh

doi:10.3390/ma10070724

Yingjun Zhao, Martin Schagerl + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10070724

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Abstract

The concept of lightweight design is widely employed for designing and constructing aerospace structures that can sustain extreme loads while also being fuel-efficient. Popular lightweight materials such as aluminum alloy and fiber-reinforced polymers (FRPs) possess outstanding mechanical properties, but their structural integrity requires constant assessment to ensure structural safety. Next-generation structural health monitoring systems for aerospace structures should be lightweight and integrated with the structure itself. In this study, a multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)-based polymer paint was developed to detect distributed damage in lightweight structures. The thin film’s electromechanical properties were characterized via cyclic loading tests. Moreover, the thin film’s bulk conductivity was characterized by finite element modeling.

Highlights

The aerospace industry employs lightweight structural components that are robust against harsh operating conditions and simultaneously to attain higher fuel efficiencies
This study aims to enhance the strain sensitivity and scalability of an multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)-based polymer paint by using Pluronic as the nanoparticle stabilizer
The strain sensitivity was characterized via cyclic tensile tests on coupons with thin films directly painted as strain sensors

Summary

Introduction

The aerospace industry employs lightweight structural components that are robust against harsh operating conditions and simultaneously to attain higher fuel efficiencies. Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites are favored by lightweight design due to their high strength-to-weight ratio and inertness to corrosion [1,2,3,4,5,6]. Many civil aircraft adopt FRPs to compose essential load-bearing parts, such as the control surfaces and wings. To further improve one’s fuel efficiency and to seek higher commercial profits, Airbus and Boeing even launched FRP-dominated aircraft (e.g., the A350 series and the 787 Dreamliner) whose entire fuselages are composed of carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (CFRPs) [3,4]. The Falcon 9 spacecraft from SpaceX adopts a CFRP fairing to resist dynamic pressure during launching [7]. As one of the most expensive parts of a rocket, the fairing was able to be retrieved for future reuse, which can drastically reduce the manufacturing cost of a rocket [8]

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