Modification of basalt fibre using pyrolytic carbon coating for sensing applications

This paper reported the modification of basalt fibre (BF) using a chemical vapour deposition (CVD) method, aiming at enhancing the functionality of BF for sensing applications. Various techniques were used to characterize the surface, electrical and mechanical properties of fibres before and after CVD treatment. The results showed that a thin layer of pyrolytic carbon with a thickness of 15-30 nm was deposited on the fibre surface, making the insulating fibres electrically conductive. Upon embedding a strand of these fibres into epoxy resin, the corresponding composites exhibited a piezoresistive effect with the highest gauge factor of 38.6 under the mechanical load. Analysis of the stress-strain curve along with the corresponding electrical resistance of the sample confirmed that BF with pyrolytic carbon coating could be used as both reinforcement and a sensor to monitor structural damage in composite structures.