3D printed anti-icing and de-icing system based on CNT/GNP doped epoxy composites with self-curing and structural health monitoring capabilities

Abstract

The strain-sensing, self-curing and self-heating capabilities of a 3D printed circuit made of a graphene nanoplatelet and carbon nanotube reinforced resin, have been widely explored. These materials exhibit high Joule’s heating effect capabilities that can be used for post-curing processes. More specifically, the values of glass transition temperature reached by Joule’s heating post-curing were very similar to those obtained by conventional oven heating. The temperature profile along each individual ribbon was relatively homogeneous, being an indicative of a good nanoparticle dispersion, confirmed by field emission gun scanning electron microscope analysis. Furthermore, the proposed printed circuits showed excellent strain-sensing capabilities with a much higher strain sensitivity, with a gauge factor of 6–8, in comparison to conventional metallic gauges or bulk nanocomposites, with a gauge factor of around 2, showing also good linearity. In addition, the breakage of individual ribbons can be easily detected by the strain-sensing system as a sharp increase of the electrical resistance. Finally, temperature compensation tests showed that, in case of printed ribbon breakage, it is possible to keep constant the average temperature of the circuit by raising the applied voltage to avoid ice accretion. Thus, with none to two broken ribbons, the 3D printed circuit can act as an efficient anti-icing and de-icing system.

A Review on Printing of Responsive Smart and 4D Structures Using 2D Materials

“…[ 170 ] 3D printing of such structures offers additional advantages in terms of versatility of the design and integration in existing technologies/structures. [ 174 ]…”

“…Applying a 1000 V on a diamond‐like geometry 3D printed circuit (Figure 6c) meant that a thick ice layer of 2.65 mm could be removed in 3 min and 30 s. The same authors also found a similar system of materials to work as structural health monitoring feedback. [ 174 ]…”

“…In this sense, Joule heating is a stimuli-responsive mechanism. Due to their high electrical conductivity and their effective miscibility with polymers, 2D nanomaterials, such as graphene, and MXene, [169][170][171][172] have been introduced for such applications leading to extra stable and rapid heating. Indeed, graphene can be assembled in 3D self-standing structures or distributed homogenously inside matrixes to offer a remarkable spreading of the heating spots.…”

“…[170] 3D printing of such structures offers additional advantages in terms of versatility of the design and integration in existing technologies/structures. [174] For polymer-based (especially epoxy) structural materials, anti-icing could be achieved by implementing Joule heating. For example, Yang et al [172] reported the preparation of epoxy resin nanocomposites filled with Ti 3 C 2 T x MXenes using an aerogel for low-voltage electrothermal heating.…”

Carbon Nanotube Reinforced Poly(ε-caprolactone)/Epoxy Blends for Superior Mechanical and Self-Sensing Performance in Multiscale Glass Fiber Composites

“…Therefore, the addition of CNTs gives the composite new and interesting multifunctionalities. More specifically, the composite shows excellent piezoresistive behavior that, in conjunction with the tunneling transport that occurs between adjacent nanoparticles, makes possible the strain and damage monitoring by means of electrical conductivity measurements [ 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ]. This capability has been extensively explored in multiscale GF composites [ 18 ], showing a particularly high sensitivity to interlaminar [ 19 ], impact failure [ 20 ], or moisture damage propagation [ 21 ], as well as good flow and cure monitoring capabilities [ 22 , 23 ], making the multiscale composites suitable for structural health monitoring (SHM) applications.…”