Hybrid composites containing endless glass fiber reinforcement and surface-functionalized carbon nanotubes (CNTs) dispersed in the matrix phase were produced by resin transfer molding (RTM). An efficient surface modification of the nanotubes enhances the compatibility with the matrix system and the dispersion quality, enabling the impregnation process via liquid composite molding. We assessed the quality of the RTM process by newly developed methodologies for the quantification of the filtering of CNTs. First, we established a method to analyze the CNT length distribution before and after injection for thermosetting composites to characterize length-dependent withholding respectively the size distribution of nanotubes in the hybrid composites. Second, the resulting test laminates were locally examined by Raman spectroscopy and compared to reference (nanocomposite) samples of known CNT content to non-destructively quantify the local CNT concentration along the resin flow path. Moreover, the thermal and mechanical properties of the modified composites were investigated.
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