Abstract
AbstractThe through‐thickness conductivity of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite was increased by incorporating multiwalled carbon nanotubes in the interlaminar region. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were dispersed in a polyethylenimine (PEI) binder, which was then coated onto the carbon fiber fabric. Standard vacuum‐assisted resin infusion process was applied to fabricate the composite laminates. This modification technique aims to enhance the electrical conductivity in through‐thickness direction for the purpose of nondestructive testing, damage detection, and electromagnetic interference shielding. CNT concentrations ranging from 0 to 0.75 wt% were used and compared to pristine CFRP samples (reference). The through‐thickness conductivity of the CFRP exhibited an improvement of up to 781% by adopting this technique. However, the dispersion of CNT in PEI led to a viscosity increase and poor wetting properties which resulted in the formation of voids/defects, poor adhesion (as shown in scanning electron micrographs) and the deterioration of the mechanical properties as manifested by interlaminar shear strength and dynamic mechanical analysis measurements.
Highlights
Damage within composites is often due to shock events causing delamination between plies and is hard to be observed visually or accurately.[1]
The through-thickness electrical conductivity of the carbon fiber/epoxy plates loaded with carbon nanotube (CNT) was measured and compared to the pristine Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) as reference
The average through-thickness conductivity of the carbon fiber/epoxy plates loaded with CNT shows a sevenfold increase compared with the pristine sample (Figure 2)
Summary
Damage within composites is often due to shock events causing delamination between plies and is hard to be observed visually or accurately.[1]. The resin viscosity drops before gelation, allowing for a higher CNT re-agglomeration.[29] Second, the cured composite shrinkage diminishes the CNT interparticle distance and enhances the conductivity of the epoxy-based CPC. CNT re-agglomeration and preferential epoxy cure drastically increases local viscosity,[30,31] leading to increased porosity and further reduction of mechanical properties, especially in the interlaminar region.
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