Abstract
A major problem with carbon fiber/epoxy (CF/EP) composites is their weakness to resist interlaminar delamination originating from the brittle epoxy matrix. Interleaving has been long studied as a solution. In this work, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were uniformly decorated on electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibers by ultra-sonication to form flexible interleaves for CF/EP laminates. Upon epoxy curing, PCL nanofibers were phase separated from epoxy, and CNTs could be uniformly distributed within the matrix. Results obtained showed that modes I and II interlaminar fracture energies of CF/EP laminates interleaved with CNT-decorated PCL nanofibers were enhanced by 68% and 44%, respectively. Synchronous improvement of 7.5% on the interlaminar shear strength of CF/EP laminates were also achieved. Moreover, the glass transition temperature of the interleaved laminates was maintained as that of epoxy because of the introduction of the CNTs.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 100622 |
| Journal | Composites Communications |
| Volume | 24 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Apr 2021 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Composite laminate
- Interlaminar fracture toughness
- Multiwalled carbon nanotubes
- Polycaprolactone nanofiber
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ceramics and Composites
- Mechanics of Materials
- Polymers and Plastics
- Materials Chemistry