High-Volume-Fraction Textured Carbon Nanotube–Bis(maleimide) and −Epoxy Matrix Polymer Nanocomposites: Implications for High-Performance Structural Composites
Year: 2022
Type: article
Abstract: Polymer matrix nanocomposites (PNCs) incorporating high volume fractions ( V f in excess of 10 vol %) of aligned carbon nanotubes (A-CNTs) are promising for high-performance structural composite applications leveraging texture for multifunctionality and performance-to-weight ratios. However, to enable the manufacturing of scalable structures using A-CNT PNCs, nanoscale confinement and interfacial effects due to high A-CNT content in aerospace-grade polymer matrices need to be better understood. Here, we report the model-informed fabrication of high- V f CNT PNCs to develop process–structure–property relationships, including a scaled film and laminate technique for A-CNT polymer laminates and the fabrication of microvoid-free and fully infused bis(maleimide) (BMI) and epoxy PNCs with high packing densities (or V f ) of biaxially mechanically densified millimeter-tall A-CNT array reinforcement (1–30 vol % corresponding to the average inter-CNT spacings of ∼70 to 6 nm). A polymer infusion model developed from Darcy’s law accurately predicts the time for resin to infuse into CNT arrays during capillary-assisted PNC processing, corroborated by experimental observations via X-ray microcomputed tomography and scanning electron microscopy showing that a diluted resin with ∼10× lower viscosity than a neat resin is required to obtain complete infusion into high- V f A-CNT arrays (10–30 vol %). For each tested A-CNT volume percent, the cured PNCs maintain vertical CNT alignment and glass transition temperature, and the decomposition onset temperature remains constant for epoxy PNCs but increases by ∼8 °C for 30 vol % A-CNT–BMI PNCs compared to the neat resin. For both polymer matrix systems, a ∼2× increase in the axial indentation modulus for 30 vol % A-CNT PNCs compared to that of a neat resin is measured, and no significant change in the transverse A-CNT modulus is shown experimentally and via modeling, indicating that reinforcement with A-CNTs at higher V f values leads to enhanced anisotropic mechanical properties. Through the process–structure–property scaling relationships established here, this work supports the development of next-generation structures comprised of nanomaterials with enhanced performance and manufacturability.
Source: ACS Applied Nano Materials
Language: English
Subfield: Materials Chemistry
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Awards: THE INSTITUTE FOR ULTRA-STRONG COMPOSITES BY COMPUTATIONAL DESIGN (US-COMP) WILL BE FOCUSED ON THE MODELING-DRIVEN DESIGN OF A NEW CLASS OF ULTRA-HIGH-STRENGTH-LIGHTWEIGHT (UHSL) MATERIALS FOR FUTURE MANNED MARS MISSIONS. THESE MATERIALS WILL MEET THE REQUIRED MECHANICAL PERFORMANCE GOALS SET FORTH BY NASA AND EXCEED THOSE EXHIBITED BY CURRENT STATE-OF-THE-ART CARBON-FIBER COMPOSITES. US-COMP S VISION IS TO SERVE AS A FOCAL POINT FOR PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN NASA OTHER AGENCIES INDUSTRY AND ACADEMIA TO: (1) ENABLE COMPUTATIONALLY-DRIVEN DEVELOPMENT OF CARBON NANOTUBE (CNT)-BASED UHSL STRUCTURAL MATERIALS AND (2) EXPAND THE RESOURCE OF HIGHLY SKILLED ENGINEERS SCIENTISTS AND TECHNOLOGISTS IN THIS EMERGING FIELD TO ENHANCE THE U.S. LEADERSHIP IN CRITICAL LIGHTWEIGHT STRUCTURAL MATERIALS. THIS VISION WILL BE ACHIEVED THROUGH THE FOUR PRINCIPLE OBJECTIVES: ESTABLISH A NEW COMPUTATIONALLY-DRIVEN MATERIAL DESIGN PARADIGM FOR RAPID MATERIAL DEVELOPMENT AND DEPLOYMENT DEVELOP A NOVEL UHSL STRUCTURAL MATERIAL FOR USE IN DEEP SPACE EXPLORATION. THE PANEL-LEVEL TESTS AND DEMONSTRATION OF THE NOVEL MATERIALS WILL BE CARRIED OUT TO MOVE THE DEVELOPED TECHNOLOGY TO A TECHNICAL READINESS LEVEL (TRL) OF 4. DEVELOP NOVEL MODELING PROCESSING AND TESTING TOOLS AND METHODS FOR CNT-BASED COMPOSITE MATERIALS ESTABLISH A POOL OF HIGHLY SKILLED ENGINEERS AND SCIENTISTS TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT WORKFORCE. AN INTERDISCIPLINARY AND DIVERSE TEAM OF RESEARCHERS FROM ACADEMIA INDUSTRY AND NATIONAL LABS WILL PARTICIPATE IN THE PROJECT. THE COMPUTATIONAL DESIGN OF THE MATERIAL WILL BE DRIVEN BY A MODELING EFFORT TO INTEGRATE TOPOLOGICAL OPTIMIZATION ATOMISTIC MODELING MOLECULAR MODELING MESOSCALE MODELING AND CONTINUUM-BASED COMPUTATIONAL MECHANICS. INNOVATIONS IN MATERIALS SYNTHESIS AND MANUFACTURING TECHNIQUES WILL ENSURE THE PERFORMANCE AND SCALE-UP FABRICATION OF AEROSPACE-QUALITY TEST SAMPLES AND PANELS. MULTISCALE TESTING AND CHARACTERIZATION CAPABILITIES WILL BE ESTABLISHED AND INTEGRATED TO VALIDATE THE MODELING AND MANUFACTURING EFFORTS AND TO COMPLETE THE PROOF-OF-CONCEPT CYCLE. PARTICIPATION OF THE INDUSTRIAL PARTNERS WILL PROVIDE AND ENSURE THE SCALABILITY AND AEROSPACE-GRADE QUALITY OF THE DEVELOPED COMPOSITE MATERIAL. THE DEVELOPED MATERIALS AND MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT METHODS WILL HAVE A MAJOR IMPACT ON THE AEROSPACE COMMUNITY. FIRST UHSL MATERIALS WILL BE DEVELOPED WITH THE RIGOROUS STRENGTH MODULUS AND FRACTURE TOUGHNESS PROPERTIES NECESSARY FOR MANNED MARS MISSIONS. SECOND A NEW COMPUTATIONALLY-DRIVEN MATERIALS DESIGN PARADIGM WILL BE ESTABLISHED TO DEVELOP THE UHSL MATERIAL OF INTEREST AND FOR FUTURE RAPID MATERIALS DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS. THIRD A FUNDAMENTAL UNDERSTANDING OF LOAD TRANSFER AND MULTISCALE FAILURE MECHANISMS OF CNT-BASED COMPOSITE MATERIALS WILL BE ESTABLISHED TO ACHIEVE THEIR THEORETICAL PERFORMANCE. FOURTH A REPRODUCIBLE ENGINEERING PERFORMANCE DATA FROM AEROSPACE-QUALITY AND SCALE-UP PANEL TEST RESULTS BUILDING UPON AEROSPACE-GRADE RESIN SYSTEMS AND HIGH-QUALITY COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE CNT MATERIALS TO ENSURE SCALABILITY TO CONDUCT ASTM STANDARD TESTS. ANOTHER IMPORTANT EMPHASIS OF THE INSTITUTE WILL BE IN WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. STUDENTS WILL BE TRAINED FOR DEVELOPING AND UTILIZING ADVANCED COMPUTATIONAL AND EXPERIMENTAL APPROACHES FOR LIGHTWEIGHT MATERIALS. FUNDS WILL BE RESERVED FOR THE STUDENTS TO HAVE EXTENDED VISITS TO NASA FACILITIES DURING SUMMER MONTHS FOR DIRECT MENTORSHIP BY NASA RESEARCHERS. THESE ACTIVITIES WILL STRENGTHEN THE PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN THE INSTITUTE MEMBERS AND NASA. WITH THE HELP OF THE HBCU PARTICIPANT (FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY) THE INSTITUTE WILL ESTABLISH A DIVERSE GROUP OF BOTH RESEARCHERS AND GRADUATE STUDENTS., G3429140574, G3491862500, G3543940555, G4333042003, G568228518, MIT Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC), G805375031
OpenAlex ID: W4284969300