Abstract
Multifunctional fiber-reinforced composites play a significant role in advanced aerospace and military applications due to their high strength and toughness resulting in superior damage tolerance. However, early detection of structural changes prior to visible damage is critical for extending the lifetime of the part. MXenes, an emerging class of two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials, possess hydrophilic surfaces, high electrical conductivity and mechanical properties that can potentially be used to identify damage within fiber-reinforced composites. In this work, conductive Ti3C2Tx MXene flakes were successfully transferred onto insulating glass fibers via oxygen plasma treatment improving adhesion. Increasing plasma treatment power, time and coating layers lead to a decrease in electrical resistance of MXene-coated fibers. Optimized uniformity was achieved using an alternating coating approach with smaller flakes helping initiate and facilitate adhesion of larger flakes. Tensile testing with in-situ electrical resistance tracking showed resistances as low as 1.8 kΩ for small-large flake-coated fiber bundles before the break. Increased resistance was observed during testing, but due to good adhesion between the fiber and MXene, most connective pathways within fiber bundles remained intact until fiber bundles were completely separated. These results demonstrate a potential use of MXene-coated glass fibers in damage-sensing polymer-matrix composites.
Highlights
Fiber-reinforced composite systems play a significant role in modern structural designs found in aerospace and military applications due to their high mechanical strength and lightweight properties.Over the last four decades, aircraft designs have seen a 50% increase in the use of composite materials resulting in a growing need for better understanding of various types of damage to these parts as well as methods for monitoring them [1]
Gao et al showed that coating glass fibers with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) produced semiconducting glass fibers with resistances ranging from 104 to 107 Ω [13]
Due to the inert nature of the surface of CNTs and MWCNTs, additional steps must be taken to disperse them into polymer systems or attach them to glass fiber surfaces
Summary
Fiber-reinforced composite systems play a significant role in modern structural designs found in aerospace and military applications due to their high mechanical strength and lightweight properties. Over the last four decades, aircraft designs have seen a 50% increase in the use of composite materials resulting in a growing need for better understanding of various types of damage to these parts as well as methods for monitoring them [1]. Structural parts already in-service suffer from defects arising from normal operational wear or unexpected events such as impact from foreign objects resulting in delamination Further studies by Gao’s group showed full dispersion of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) into woven glass fiber/epoxy composites and successful monitoring of changes in electrical resistance during repeated impact tests showing upwards of 1600% change in resistance with increasing damage area [14]. Due to the inert nature of the surface of CNTs and MWCNTs, additional steps must be taken to disperse them into polymer systems or attach them to glass fiber surfaces
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