Durability of Carbon Nanotube Polymer-Fiber Composites

Published

July 25, 2016

Author(s)

Aaron M. Forster, James Alexander Liddle, Donald L. Hunston, Ajay Krishnamurthy

Abstract

Significant composite strength improvements have been achieved using highly aligned and dense carbon nanotube fibers with low resin concentration, but these remain ac-cessible only to aerospace applications [1]. The potential of carbon nanotubes for high volume production compo-sites has been in the development of multifunctional com-posites. Examples are polymer matrix composites contain-ing dense networks of nanotubes [2,3] or carbon nanotube forests. The piezoelectric nanotube networks impart ther-mal and electrically conductive pathways into a normally insulating composite. The advantages include thermal management of spe-cific hot spots, localized curing or heating, strain sensing, and damage sensing. One of the challenges in deploying these materials is understanding the long term durability of the network. A series of hygrothermal exposures were con-ducted on a polymer matrix composite containing multi-wall carbon nanotubes grown from the surface of the fi-ber. The performance of the composite is evaluated as a function of degradation using both thermal, mechanical, electrical and moisture uptake measurements.

Proceedings Title

ACS Polymer and Composites Conference Proceedings

Conference Dates

July 25-28, 2016

Conference Location

Santa Rosa, CA, US

Conference Title

2016 Polymer and High Performance Polymers Conference

Pub Type

Conferences

Keywords

nanocomposites, durability, nanotubes, mechanics

Citation

Forster, A. , Liddle, J. , Hunston, D. and Krishnamurthy, A. (2016), Durability of Carbon Nanotube Polymer-Fiber Composites, ACS Polymer and Composites Conference Proceedings, Santa Rosa, CA, US (Accessed May 3, 2024)