Flame synthesis of carbon nanotubes onto carbon fiber woven fabric and improvement of interlaminar toughness of composite laminates

A simple flame synthesis method was utilized for grafting functional carbon nanotubes (CNTs) onto carbon fiber fabrics. Functional organic groups found on CNTs were formed after the flame growth process. Results from electrochemical tests also showed that the accessible surface area was improved by more than 50 times after the carbon fiber fabrics were grafted with CNTs for 3 min. Hence, mode I and mode II interlaminar fracture toughness of these composite laminates, wherein carbon fiber fabrics were grafted with CNTs, increased by ∼67% and ∼60%, respectively.