Ayoub Yari Boroujeni

Hybrid Composites Based on Carbon Fiber/Carbon Nanofilament Reinforcement

Carbon nanofilament and nanotubes (CNTs) have shown promise for enhancing the mechanical properties of fiber-reinforced composites (FRPs) and imparting multi-functionalities to them. While direct mixing of carbon nanofilaments with the polymer matrix in FRPs has several drawbacks, a high volume of uniform nanofilaments can be directly grown on fiber surfaces prior to composite fabrication. This study demonstrates the ability to create carbon nanofilaments on the surface of carbon fibers employing a synthesis method, graphitic structures by design (GSD), in which carbon structures are grown from fuel mixtures using nickel particles as the catalyst. The synthesis technique is proven feasible to grow nanofilament structures—from ethylene mixtures at 550 °C—on commercial polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based carbon fibers. Raman spectroscopy and electron microscopy were employed to characterize the surface-grown carbon species. For comparison purposes, a catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CCVD) technique was also utilized to grow multiwall CNTs (MWCNTs) on carbon fiber yarns. The mechanical characterization showed that composites using the GSD-grown carbon nanofilaments outperform those using the CCVD-grown CNTs in terms of stiffness and tensile strength. The results suggest that further optimization of the GSD growth time, patterning and thermal shield coating of the carbon fibers is required to fully materialize the potential benefits of the GSD technique.

Electromagnetic Shielding Effectiveness of a Hybrid Carbon Nanotube/Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composite

A relatively low-temperature carbon nanotube (CNT) synthesis technique, graphitic structure by design (GSD), was utilized to grow CNTs over glass fibers. Composite laminates based on the hybrid CNTs–glass fibers were fabricated and examined for their electromagnetic interfering (EMI) shielding effectiveness (SE), in-plane and out-of-plane electrical conductivities and mechanical properties. Despite degrading the strength and strain-to-failure, improvements in the elastic modulus, electrical conductivities, and EMI SE of the glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) composites were observed.

IMPACT AND QUASI-STATIC MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF A CARBON FIBER REINFORCED CARBON NANOTUBE/EPOXY

Carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRPs) possess superior inplane mechanical properties and are widely used in structural applications. Altering the interphase of CFRPs could alleviate the shortcomings of their out-of-plane performance. In this work, the effects of adding multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) to the epoxy matrix of a CFRP are investigated. Two sets of CFRPs with matrices comprising MWCNTs/epoxy and neat epoxy, respectively, were fabricated. The tensile properties of the two systems, namely the stiffness, the ultimate strength, and the strain to failure were evaluated. The results of the tension tests showed slight changes on the on-axis (along the fiber) tensile modulus and strength of the carbon fiber reinforced epoxy/MWCNT compared to composites with no MWCNTs. The addition of MWCNTs to the matrix moderately increased the strain to failure of the composite. Energy absorption capabilities for the two sets of composites under an intermediate impact velocity (100 m.s -1 ) test were measured. The energy dissipation capacity of the CFRPs incorporating MWCNTs was higher by 17% compared to the reference CFRPs.

Hybrid ZnO Nanorod Grafted Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites; Randomly versus Radially Aligned Long ZnO Nanorods Growth

Integrating nano-sized reinforcing materials into carbon fiber polymer composites (CFRPs) could enhance several aspects of their mechanical performance; e.g., interfacial strength, delamination resistance and vibrations attenuation. In this study, ZnO nanorods were grown on the surface of carbon fibers to create hybrid reinforcements. The hydrothermal synthesis of ZnO nanorods was tuned such that relatively long (>2.0 μm) nanorods can be grown. This synthesis technique requires pre-deposition of a thin seeding layer of ZnO particulates on the carbon fibers to initiate the ZnO nanorods growth. Depending on the method by which the seeding layer is deposited, the grown ZnO nanorods could display different morphologies. In this study, two different techniques were utilized to pre-deposit the ZnO seeding layer on the carbon fibers; ZnO nanoparticles/solution mixture airbrush spraying, and magnetron sputtering. The carbon fibers pre-coated with the airbrush spraying method yielded forests of randomly oriented ZnO nanorods, while the fibers pre-coated via the sputtering technique exhibited radially aligned ZnO nanorods forests. Hybrid CFRPs were fabricated based on the aforementioned carbon fiber fabrics and tested via 3-point bending dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and quasi-static tension tests. The loss tangent of the CFRPs, which delineates the damping capability, increased by 28% and 19% via radially and randomly grown ZnO nanorods, respectively. The in-plane tensile strength of the hybrid CFRPs were improved by 18% for the composites based on randomly oriented ZnO nanorods over the carbon fibers. The fractographs of the tension samples were also captured to reveal the role of the long ZnO nanorods in the in-plane performance of the hybrid CFRPs.

TEMPERATURE DEPENDENT VISCOELASTIC BEHAVIOR OF FRP/ZNO NANO-RODS HYBRID NANOCOMPOSITES

The inclusion of nanomaterials within fiber reinforced plastics (FRPs) could improve their resistance against time dependent deformation. Conceivable high temperature applications of such hybrid composites make it crucial to investigate their temperature-dependent properties as well as their durability. In this study, zinc oxide (ZnO) nano rods were grown on the surface of carbon fibers and the hybridized reinforcement was formed in a laminate composites. The viscoelastic behavior was probed utilizing dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The time/temperature superposition principle (TTSP) was invoked to obtain the viscoelastic properties of FRPs based on fibers with different surface treatments. Results indicated that the presence of ZnO nano rods at the interface between the carbon fibers and the epoxy matrix enhances the composite’s creep resistance at elevated temperatures and prolonged duration.Copyright

Mechanical Characterization of a Hybrid Carbon Nanotube/Carbon Fiber Reinforced Composite

Carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites (CFRPs) are renowned for their superior in-plane mechanical properties. However, they lack sufficient out-of-plane performance. Integrating carbon nanotubes (CNTs) into structures of CFRPs can enhance their poor out-of-plane properties. The present work investigates the effect of adding CNTs, grown on carbon fibers via a relatively low temperature growth technique, on the on and off-axis tensile properties as well as on transverse high velocity impact (∼100 m.s−1) energy absorption of the corresponding CFRPs. Two sets of composite samples based on carbon fabrics with surface grown CNTs and reference fabrics were fabricated and mechanically characterized via tension and impact tests. The on-axis and off-axis tests confirmed improvements in the strength and stiffness of the hybrid samples over the reference ones. A gas gun equipped with a high-speed camera was utilized to evaluate the impact energy absorption of the composite systems subjected to transverse spherical projectiles. Due to the integration of CNTs, intermediate improvements in the tensile properties of the CFRP were achieved. However, the CFRPs’ impact energy absorption was improved significantly.Copyright

Characterization of ZnO Piezoelectric Nanowires in Energy Harvesting for Fiber-Reinforced Composites

Structural health monitoring can enhance reliability, increase safety, and decrease maintenance costs by detecting damage at an early stage. By taking advantage of the electromechanical coupling, piezoelectric materials have the potential to harvest energy from ambient vibration sources to provide low-power electricity for self-powered electronic devices. In comparison with other piezoelectric transducers, zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires carry the added advantages of structural flexibility, lower cost, compactness, and lighter weight. In this study, the energy harvesting capabilities of nanoscale ZnO piezoelectric nanowires (NW) grown on the surface of glass fiber fabrics are investigated experimentally. A series of cantilevered carbon fiber beams containing a controlled amount of ZnO nanowires is evaluated. The absolute electrical energy dissipation is quantified by measuring the output power over a broad spectrum of known vibratory loads and frequencies. The maximum amount of power extracted is obtained by employing resistive impedance matching. Here, a maximum peak of ∼6.7 mV was generated when the beam containing ZnO nanowires was excited at 2.90g and connected to a 10 MΩ load. At that excitation level, a maximum of 20.0 pW was generated when an optimal resistor of 1 MΩ is connected. A tip mass of ∼0.6 gram added to the sample with ZnO NWs increased the peak-voltage by 2.21 mV and increased the peak-power by 13.3 pW. A series of DC voltage applied to the ZnO sample suggests the equivalence of poling treatment, where the dipole alignment of the ZnO NWs are disrupted. Here, a maximum peak-power of 45 pW is reported, showing promising potential of scaling-up to harvest ambient energy for low-powered electronics.Copyright

Integration of Carbon Nanotubes Into a Fiberglass Reinforced Polymer Composite and its Effects on Electromagnetic Shielding and Mechanical Properties

Electromagnetic (EM) waves, such as electronic noise and radio frequency interference can be regarded as an invisible electronic pollution which justifies a very active quest for effective electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials. Highly conductive materials of adequate thickness are the primary solutions to shield against EMI. Equipment cases and basic structure of space aircraft and launch vehicles have traditionally been made of aluminum, steel and other electrically conductive metals. However, in recent years composite materials have been used for electronic equipment manufacturing because of their lightweight, high strength, and ease of fabrication. Despite these benefits, composite materials are not as electrically conductive as traditional metals, especially in terms of electrical grounding purposes and shielding. Therefore, extra effort must be taken to resolve these shortcomings. The present work demonstrates a study on developing hybrid composites based on fiberglass with surface grown carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for EMI applications. The choice of fiberglass is primarily because it naturally possesses poor electrical conductivity, hence growing CNTs over glass fiber surface can significantly improve the conductivity. The fabrics were sputter-coated with a thin layer of SiO2 thermal barrier prior to growing of CNTs. The CNTs were grown on the surface of woven fiberglass fabrics utilizing a relatively low temperature technique. Raw fiberglass fabric, SiO2 coated fabric, and SiO2 coated fabric which was subjected to the identical heat treatment as the samples with CNTs were also prepared. Two-layers composite specimens based on different surface treated fiberglass fabrics were fabricated and their EMI shielding effectiveness (SE) was measured. The EMI SE of the hybrid CNT-fiberglass composites was shown to be 5–10 times of the reference samples. However, the tensile mechanical properties of the composites based on the different above mentioned fibers revealed significant degradation due to the elevated CNT growth temperature and the addition of coating layer and CNTs. To further probe the structure of the hybrid composites and the inter-connectivity of the CNTs from one interface to another, sets of 20-layers composites based on different surface treated fabrics were also fabricated and characterized.© 2013 ASME