Selective Integration of Carbon Nanotubes into Composite Structure for Localized Property Enhancement

The benefits of enhancing structural composite materials with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are well known. However, the costs associated with the incorporation of CNTs throughout composite hardware are excessive. Selective use of a low concentration of CNTs in localized sections of interest offers a cost effective solution. The placement of CNTs in critical areas such as around fastener holes, ply drop-offs, bond lines, and edges could greatly enhance the performance of composite components without significantly driving up fabrication costs. Cost-effective and fabrication-friendly methods of selectively incorporating CNTs are desired. Luna Innovations Incorporated has developed inexpensive catalyst-free CNT manufacturing processes and has demonstrated the ability to produce and incorporate thin films of carbon nanoreinforcement into composite structures. Recent programs at Luna have utilized a seamless thin film application of carbon nanoreinforcement to produce composite panels that show a significant increase in interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) without a decrease in in-plane properties. Luna will combine their advanced catalyst-free CNT fabrication capabilities with their thin film incorporation techniques to achieve cost-effective and seamless application of small quantities of CNTs for enhancing performance in critical areas of composite components.