Engineering uniformity in mass production of MWCNTs/epoxy nanofibers using a lateral belt-driven multi-nozzle electrospinning technique to enhance the mechanical properties of CFRPs

Abstract

Electrospinning is one of the most diverse, cost-effective, and ecologically renowned methods for generating continuous nanofibers, but electrospinning of thermosetting polymers like epoxy and their mass volume productions have been a major challenge in recent years. This study proposes a fabrication method by addressing electrospun MWCNTS/epoxy (CNT/epoxy) nanofiber's volume processing, reproducibility, and accuracy issues in an effective manner. Lateral belt-driven (LBD) multi-nozzle electrospinning is here newly adopted to enhance the mechanical properties of the carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) laminates. With the LBD approach, the electric field can be uninterruptedly distributed to deposit a uniform layer of CNT/epoxy scaffolds over the entire width of CFRP prepreg. This study optimizes the distance between two nozzles, the motion of the lateral belt, and the electrospinning period. The laminates made of coated CFRP show enhanced mechanical properties when compared to pristine CFRPs. Under high-stress conditions, these CFRP laminates' interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) and fatigue performance demonstrated 29% and 27% improvements, respectively. This study, which demonstrated the success of using an LBD multi-nozzle system, has enormous opportunities to produce thinner and continuous fibers with more concentrated collections at a faster rate, which is critical for commercial applications.