A hybrid ceramic-polymer composite fabricated by co-curing lay-up process for a strong bonding and enhanced transient thermal protection

A hybrid ceramic-polymer composite is fabricated by a co-curing lay-up process by combining a carbon nanotube (CNT) reinforced ceramic composite thin film with a carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite substrate. The ceramic nanocomposite thin film has good flexibility, thermal conductivity and high temperature tolerance. The polymer composite substrate is a carbon fiber reinforced bismaleimide composite that is widely used in aerospace and automotive industries. Finite element analysis (FEA) is used to investigate the maximum survival temperature with different thicknesses of the ceramic nanocomposite. The resultant hybrid composite shows good structural integrity and displays a pull-off bonding strength up to 8.3 MPa. In addition, thermal study illustrates that such a flexible CNT reinforced ceramic composite can effectively protect CFRP in an elevated temperature environment by delaying transient thermal conduction.