High Interlaminar Shear Strength Enhancement of Carbon Fiber/Epoxy Composite through Fiber- and Matrix-Anchored Carbon Nanotube Networks

To improve the interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) of carbon fiber reinforced epoxy composite, networks of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) were grown on micron-sized carbon fibers and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) were dispersed into the epoxy matrix so that these two types of carbon nanotubes entangle at the carbon fiber (CF)/epoxy matrix interface. The MWNTs on the CF fiber (CF-MWNTs) were grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD), while the single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) were finely dispersed in the epoxy matrix precursor with the aid of a dispersing agent polyimide-graft-bisphenol A diglyceryl acrylate (PI-BDA) copolymer. Using vacuum assisted resin transfer molding, the SWNT-laden epoxy matrix precursor was forced into intimate contact with the “hairy” surface of the CF-MWNT fiber. The tube density and the average tube length of the MWNT layer on CF was controlled by the CVD growth time. The ILSS of the CF-MWNT/epoxy resin composite was examined using the short beam shear test. Wi...