The enhanced interlaminar toughness of carbon fiber reinforced poly(ether ether ketone) composites modified by carbon nanotubes

Abstract

• PEEK prepregs were modified with CNTs by a simple powder slurry method. • Laminates directly manufactured by prepregs have enhanced interlaminar toughness. • The G Ic and G IIc with 0.5 wt% CNTs ware improved by 78.8% and 90.5%, respectively. • The flexural properties and interlaminar shear strength were enhanced by CNTs. The interlaminar toughness of poly(ether ether ketone)(PEEK) composites has received extensive attention. In this study, carbon fiber reinforced PEEK prepregs were manufactured by the powder slurry method. Carbon nanotubes(CNTs) were introduced into prepregs during the manufacturing procedure. The double cantilever beam(DCB) and end notched flexure(ENF) specimens were prepared to evaluate the interlaminar fracture toughness of the composites. The results reveal that by the addition of 0.5 wt% CNTs, the mode I and mode II interlaminar fracture toughness of PEEK composites were improved by 78.8% and 90.5%, respectively. The flexural properties and interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) were also enhanced by CNTs. This paper provides a facile method for the direct preparation of high interlaminar toughness prepregs.