Significantly improved electrical and interlaminar mechanical properties of carbon fiber laminated composites by using special carbon nanotube pre-dispersion mixture

High electrical conductivity through thickness direction is an indispensable prerequisite for the application of laminated composites in the aircraft. The epoxide (butyl glycidyl ether) functionalized multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT-BGE) was prepared and then reacted with epoxy resin to form a new type of pre-dispersion mixture. Subsequently, the MWCNT-BGE/epoxy pre-dispersion mixture was transferred to the interlayer of carbon fiber/epoxy composite laminates by well-designed spraying technique, and the relevant micro-morphology and size distribution were quantitatively analyzed. The results showed that the three dimensional continuous conductive paths can be built and maintained across the interlayer of composite laminates through the incorporation of fluffy and network-like MWCNT-BGE/epoxy pre-dispersion mixture. A remarkable increase of 283% can be realized in the through-thickness electrical conductivity after spraying pre-dispersion mixture with a concentration of 0.5 wt%. Further, the incorporation of pre-dispersion mixture can efficiently enhance the interlaminar shear strength of carbon fiber composite laminates simultaneously.