Nanocomposite Aerospace Resins for Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Composites

Abstract

Polymer-layered silicate nanocomposites have been the recent focus of a great deal of polymeric materials research due to enhancements of thermal, mechanical, and transport properties. In this research, thermoset polymer nanocomposites were successfully prepared and the polymer nanocomposite resins were also used to prepare carbon fiber-reinforced composites. Investigation of the rheological characteristics showed that the modified resin would still be suitable for resin transfer molding of fiber-reinforced composites. The data from differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and in situ small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) are well related for the morphological development. Results from wide-angle x-ray diffraction (WAXD), SAXS, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of the polymer-silicate nanocomposites were used to characterize the morphology of the layered silicate in the epoxy resin matrix. The moduli of the polymer-silicate nanocomposites were found to be significantly greater. The diffusion coefficients of the solvent in the nanocomposites were found to be much lower and the oxygen plasma erosion rates were also reduced for the nanocamposites. The nanocomposite/IM7 carbon fiber composites were uniform with no filtration of nanoparticles from the resin during infusion. SAXS results indicate that the nanoclay planes are oriented parallel to the IM7 fiber axis. The thermal expansion coefficient of the composite for the nanocomposite as the matrix was reduced. There is some improvement for mechanical properties.