New architecture and processes for hierarchical composites of aligned carbon nanotubes and continuous carbon fibers

A new laminate nanoengineered composite laminate architecture employing aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is designed, fabricated, and characterized. This multi-fiber architecture targets mass-efficient inter and intra-laminar reinforcement of aerospacegrade carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRPs). Aligned CNTs are integrated between the advanced fibers and tows at room tempearture after CNT growth, yielding a tailorable distributed CNT network throughout the structure. Unlike existing approaches, such as weaving, stitching, and z-pinning that result in in-plane mechanical property reduction, we demonstrate that in-plane mechanical properties can be maintained. In addition to expected toughness and strength enhancement from such architectures, modest enhancement of electrical conductivities was observed in both in-plane and through-thickness directions. Future work includes refinements of the mechanical assembly method and processing to expand and improve multi-functional properties.