Preparation and characterization of carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRPs) incorporating through-plane-stitched carbon fibers

Abstract

In this study, novel methods are proposed for manufacturing carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (CFRPs) to enhance their thermal and electrical conductivities and mechanical properties. Polyacrylonitrile (PAN)- and pitch-based carbon fibers were used as the stitching materials, to provide conductive paths through the CFRP body in the through-plane direction. The through-plane thermal and electrical conductivities of the stitched CFRPs were drastically enhanced by a maximum of 2.23 times, and 54.7 times compared to non-stitched CFRP, respectively. The mechanical properties of the stitched CFRPs were also investigated using dynamic mechanical analysis. The results indicate that the pitch-based carbon fibers enhanced the storage modulus of CFRPs, while CFRPs stitched using PAN-based carbon fibers showed decreased value. A thin metal coating was applied to both sides of the CFRPs, and the through-plane thermal conductivity of the silver-coated, stitched CFRPs was slightly enhanced (maximum of 9%), while the through-plane electrical conductivity of the CFRPs was dramatically enhanced (maximum of 498 times). The results indicate that a synergistic effect between the stitched carbon fibers and metal coating can improve the through-plane thermal and electrical conductivities of the CFRPs. This implies that CFRPs manufactured using these simple and effective strategies can be used in the space industry.