Preparation and incorporation of multi-functional carbon nano materials into fiber reinforced polymeric composites

Official URL: https://risc01.sabanciuniv.edu/record=b2579527_(Table of contents)

It is well established that the use of nanomaterials as one of the components of fiber reinforced polymeric composite (FRPC) materials can significantly improve their mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties. The type of such nano-scale reinforcements and the processes for their incorporation into FRPCs are expected to be both cost effective and industrially feasible to enable their applications in various sectors, such as aerospace, aviation, military, and automotive, where high-performance materials are demanded. An effective incorporation and uniform distribution of nanomaterials at the interface between the polymer matrix and the fiber, which is one of the most complex regions in an FRPC structure, might enable a more efficient load transfer from the matrix to the fiber. However, to achieve significant improvements systematically, key problems associated with carbon nanomaterials such as undesired agglomeration, dispersion difficulties, and inability to provide functionality on the surface need to be addressed properly. In this study a novel multi-functional silane coupling agent (SEPPS) was designed and synthesized for the incorporation of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) into FRPCs from an aqueous medium. The novel SEPPS molecule enabled not only the dispersion of SWCNTs in the aqueous medium for their introduction onto carbon fiber surfaces by spray deposition, but also reactions with epoxy resin components and fiber surfaces during the FPRC fabrication. For this purpose, the prepared SWCNT dispersions in the presence of SEPPS were introduced into the polymer-fiber interface by spray deposition onto the glass fiber fabric surfaces, which were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Next, FRPC samples were manufactured by the vacuum infusion process from these glass fibers, and the effect of the presence of SEPPS and the content of SWCNTs at the polymer-fiber interface was investigated on the key mechanical properties resulting composite materials.