Department of Materials Science, University of Patras, 26504 Rio Patras, Greece, Theoretical and Physical Chemistry Institute, National Hellenic Research Foundation, 48 Vass. Constantinou Avenue, 116 35 Athens, Greece, Institut de Biologie Moleculaire et Cellulaire, UPR9021 CNRS, Immunologie et Chimie Therapeutiques, 67084 Strasbourg, France, and Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Universita di Trieste, Piazzale Europa 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy

Chemistry of Carbon Nanotubes

This review is designed to be a comprehensive source for polymer nanocomposite research, including fundamental structure/property relationships, manufacturing techniques, and applications of polymer nanocomposite materials. In addition to presenting the scientific framework for the advances in polymer nanocomposite research, this review focuses on the scientific principles and mechanisms in relation to the methods of processing and manufacturing with a discussion on commercial applications and health/safety concerns (a critical issue for production and scale-up). Hence, this review offers a comprehensive discussion on technology, modeling, characterization, processing, manufacturing, applications, and health/safety concerns for polymer nanocomposites.

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Review article: Polymer-matrix Nanocomposites, Processing, Manufacturing, and Application: An Overview

Influence of different carbon nanotubes on the mechanical properties of epoxy matrix composites – A comparative study

Synergetic effects of graphene platelets and carbon nanotubes on the mechanical and thermal properties of epoxy composites

The introduction of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) into conventional fibre-reinforced polymer composites creates a hierarchical reinforcement structure and can significantly improve composite performance. This paper reviews the progress to date towards the creation of fibre reinforced (hierarchical) nanocomposites and assesses the potential for a new generation of advanced multifunctional materials. Two alternative strategies for forming CNT-based hierarchical composites are contrasted, the dispersion of CNTs into the composite matrix and their direct attachment onto the primary fibre surface. The implications of each approach for composite processing and performance are discussed, along with a summary of the measured improvements in the mechanical, electrical and thermal properties of the resulting hierarchical composites.

Carbon nanotube-based hierarchical composites: a review

In this study, different weight fractions of multiwalled carbon nanotubes were dispersed in epoxy to produce toughened adhesives. The reinforced adhesives were used to bond the graphite fibre/epoxy composite adherends. Single lap joint samples were prepared and the average shear strengths were experimentally measured. Significant enhancement of the bonding performance was observed as the weight fraction of carbon nanotubes was increased.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0957-4484/14/7/316/pdf

Use of epoxy/multiwalled carbon nanotubes as adhesives to join graphite fibre reinforced polymer composites

Polymer composite materials reinforced by continuous fibers have excellent in-plane strength but are usually weak against delamination. This paper presents an experimental study of using carbon nanofibers (CNF) to improve the interlaminar fracture properties of polyester/glass fiber composites. Surfactant-treated CNF were dispersed in polyester resin and then the CNF-resin suspension was infused to impregnate a glass fiber preform using vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM). The manufacturability of using VARTM for thick and large CNF toughened composite parts has been experimentally investigated. The influence of CNF concentration on the CNF filtration in the glass fiber preform, the resin viscosity, and the micro-void formation has been examined. By choosing appropriate manufacturing parameters, we were able to use VARTM process to infuse the surfactant-treated CNF/resin matrix into the glass fiber preform and successfully manufactured the CNF toughened polyester/glass fiber composite specimens for mode-I delamination tests. The critical energy release rates of mode-I delamination ( G IC ) were characterized for several composite specimens with 1 wt% CNF concentrations and for those with pure resin. Significant improvement in the G IC was consistently observed as 1 wt% CNF were added to toughen the polyester resin. Microscopy pictures showed that the fracture surfaces of the 1 wt% CNF toughened polyester/glass fiber composite samples were more complex than the fracture surfaces of regular polyester/glass fiber composites.

Manufacturing carbon nanofibers toughened polyester/glass fiber composites using vacuum assisted resin transfer molding for enhancing the mode-I delamination resistance

Experimental investigation of dispersion during flow of multi-walled carbon nanotube/polymer suspension in fibrous porous media

During impregnation of the resin into a closed mold containing the preform in the resin transfer molding (RTM) process, increased yield of successful parts can be achieved if one could account for the inherent disturbances such as race-tracking and preform variability. One way to address this is to use sensors and actuators to control the resin flow dynamics during the impregnation process to counteract the disturbances. In this paper, we use a mold filling simulation tool to develop a design and control methodology that, with the help of sensors and actuators, identifies the flow disturbance and redirects the resin flow to successfully complete the mold filling process without any voids. The methodology is implemented and experimentally validated for a mold geometry that contains complex features such as tapered regions, rib structures, and thick regions. The flow modeling for features such as ribs and tapered sections are validated independently before integrating them into the mold geometry. The approach encompasses creation of software tools that find the position of the sensors in the mold to identify anticipated disturbances and suggest flow control actions for additional actuators at auxiliary locations to redirect the flow. Laboratory hardware is selected and integrated to automate the filling process. The effectiveness of the methodology is demonstrated by conducting experiments that, with feedback from the sensors, can automate and actively control the flow of the resin to consistently impregnate all the fibers completely despite disturbances in the process.

An approach to couple mold design and on-line control to manufacture complex composite parts by resin transfer molding

Vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) process is one of the liquid composite molding (LCM) processes aimed at producing high-quality composite parts. The void content and fiber volume frac...

Effects of vacuum pressure, inlet pressure, and mold temperature on the void content, volume fraction of polyester/e-glass fiber composites manufactured with VARTM process

Kuang-Ting Hsiao

Papers

Use of epoxy/multiwalled carbon nanotubes as adhesives to join graphite fibre reinforced polymer composites

Manufacturing carbon nanofibers toughened polyester/glass fiber composites using vacuum assisted resin transfer molding for enhancing the mode-I delamination resistance

Experimental investigation of dispersion during flow of multi-walled carbon nanotube/polymer suspension in fibrous porous media

An approach to couple mold design and on-line control to manufacture complex composite parts by resin transfer molding

Effects of vacuum pressure, inlet pressure, and mold temperature on the void content, volume fraction of polyester/e-glass fiber composites manufactured with VARTM process