Manufacturing of conductive structural composites through spraying of CNTs/epoxy dispersions on dry carbon fiber plies

Abstract

In this work, multiscale Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymers have been manufactured by inserting carbon nanotubes in the matrix of the composite material to improve and homogenize the through-thickness electrical conductivity. A first part of this work introduces a spraying technique and manufacturing process followed to produce the CNT-doped multiscale CFRP. A quality assessment of the produced material is also presented. A second part investigates the electrical conductivity, as well as a few mechanical properties of the newly manufactured material, to be able to conclude on the viability and potential of this technique. This paper presents the further development of an earlier study presenting the thermal, rheological and electrical behavior of the CNT doped epoxy matrix (Fogel et al., 2015).