Liquid oxygen compatibility study: carbon nano-tubes based CFRP composite

Abstract

This study focuses on developing a LOX-compatible PMC material by enhancing its thermal conductivity. An innovative technique involving the integration of high thermally conductive carbon nanotubes (CNTs) onto carbon fibers (CF) was employed, followed by impregnation with cyanate ester (CE) resin. The LOX compatibility of CE resin-only, CF impregnated with CE resin (CF/CE), and the proposed CNT-modified CF composite (CNTs-CF/CE) was investigated according to ASTM D2512 guidelines. While the CE resin-only samples exhibited no reaction, CF/CE and CNTs-CF/CE composites reacted with a flash event during the LOX compatibility test. Further investigation revealed that the introduction of CNTs in the CF/CE composite increased the LOX reaction probability. Notably, the study identified the influence of the damage level on the ignition rate, emphasizing the importance of damage assessment. These findings underscore the potential of CNTs in enhancing LOX compatibility and contribute valuable insights toward the development of efficient LOX storage tank applications.