Achieving extreme dynamic performance
in nanofibrous materials
requires synergistic exploitation of intrinsic nanofiber properties
and inter-fiber interactions. Regardless of the superior intrinsic
stiffness and strength of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), the weak nature
of van der Waals interactions limits the CNT mats from achieving greater
performance. We present an efficient approach to augment the inter-fiber
interactions by introducing aramid nanofiber (ANF) links between CNTs,
which forms stronger and reconfigurable interfacial hydrogen bonds
and π–π stacking interactions, leading to synergistic
performance improvement with failure retardation. Under supersonic
impacts, strengthened interactions in CNT mats enhance their specific
energy absorption up to 3.6 MJ/kg, which outperforms widely used bulk
Kevlar-fiber-based protective materials. The distinct response time
scales of hydrogen bond breaking and reformation at ultrahigh-strain-rate
(∼107–108 s–1) deformations additionally manifest a strain-rate-dependent dynamic
performance enhancement. Our findings show the potential of nanofiber
mats augmented with interfacial dynamic bondssuch as the hydrogen
bondsas low-density structural materials with superior specific
properties and high-temperature stability for extreme engineering
applications.
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