Nanofibrous and laminated nanocomposites: manufacturing and characterization

Official URL: http://risc01.sabanciuniv.edu/record=b1659264 (Table of Contents)

Electrospun nanofibers are proven to be effective toughening agents in polymer matrix composites. They are typically incorporated into laminated composites as interlayers such that resistance against delamination and progression of matrix cracking through the thickness are enhanced in comparison to the neat resin dominated interlaminar characteristics. The nanofibrous interlayers are indeed nanofiber reinforced nanocomposites. This thesis work presents an approach for manufacturing nanocomposites which are representative of the in-situ interlayer formation during the cure and consolidation of the prepreg based laminated composites. Several nanofibrous veils of different base polymers are studied. Mechanical and thermal characterization of the nanofibers and their epoxy matrix nanocomposites are reported along with the reference results on neat epoxy. Scalability of the nanocomposites is also demonstrated by processing novel nanofiber/epoxy laminated nanocomposites much like forming structural laminates. The proposed manufacturing approach enables to collect representative and consistent nanocomposite mechanical test data. The material model and the elastic modulus of single nanofibers are back calculated in reference to experimental tensile behavior of the neat epoxy and representative nanofiber/epoxy nanocomposites. The results are compared with the elastic moduli of single nanofibers extracted with Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) reported in the literature.