Design and Reinforcement: Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotube-Based Sandwich Composites

Abstract

Carbon nanotube (CNT) reinforcement of polymer composites has not yielded optimum results in that the composite properties are typically compromised by poor dispersion and random orientation of CNTs in polymers. Given the short lengths available for nanotubes, opportunities lie in incorporating CNTs with other structural reinforcements such as carbon fibers (CFs) to achieve improvement over existing composite designs. Growth of vertically aligned CNTs (VACNTs) offers new avenues for designing high-performance composites by integrating CFs and nanotubes into layered 3D architectures. To obtain composites with high rigidity and damping, we have designed and fabricated VACNT-based sandwich composites from simply stacking the freestanding VACNTs and CF fabrics and infiltrating with epoxy matrix. Comparing with the CF/epoxy laminates, the VACNT-based sandwich composites exhibit higher flexural rigidity and damping, which is achieved due to the effective integration of the VACNTs as an interfacial layer between the CF stacks. Furthermore, the lighter weight of these VACNT-based sandwich composites offers advantages in aerospace and transportation applications.

Quantification of carbon nanotube dispersion and its correlation with mechanical and thermal properties of epoxy nanocomposites

“…The improvement in thermal conductivity of epoxy modified with functionalized nanotubes might be because of the dominance of a reduction in thermal contact resistance over the phonon scattering phenomenon, accelerating the rate of energy dissipation . All this is supported by the thermal conductance through the internal graphitic layers of multiwall nanotubes . Moreover, the smaller size and well separated aggregates of functionalized CNTs compared to as‐grown nanotubes (Figure ) decreases the thermal contact resistance between the tubes and matrix .…”

Chemical-free graphene by unzipping carbon nanotubes using cryo-milling

“…Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were carried out using the NVT ensemble at 300 K controlled by the Nosé -Hoover thermostat as implemented in LAMMPS [25][26][27][28]. In the simulations we use a 5 nm long and 10 nm diameter CNT having three layers with outer layer having a chirality of (127,0).…”

“…1 shows schematic of the process consisting of multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) forest with a length of 1 cm and a diameter of 8-10 nm prepared using water assisted chemical vapour technique [27]. The forest of MWCNT is kept inside the container and milled for 3 hrs.…”

In Situ Damage Detection for Fiber‐Reinforced Composites Using Integrated Zinc Oxide Nanowires

“…It follows that to achieve the required minimum separation careful synthesis and manufacturing techniques are necessary to prevent entangling or aggregation of the nanotubes while also ensuring adequate distribution and uniformity. The complexity of such techniques leads to concerns with ease of manufacturing, scalability, and widespread application of the studied deposition methods . Additionally, damage detection via resistance measurements requires multiple electrode attachments as well as a constant current input resulting in demanding power requirements and system inefficiency when compared to a passive measurement.…”