Evolving Strategies for Producing Multiscale Graphene‐Enhanced Fiber‐Reinforced Polymer Composites for Smart Structural Applications

Abstract

Graphene has become an important research focus in many current fields of science including composite manufacturing. Developmental work in the field of graphene‐enhanced composites has revealed several functional and structural characteristics that promise great benefits for their use in a broad range of applications. There has been much interest in the production of multiscale high‐performance, lightweight, yet robust, multifunctional graphene‐enhanced fiber‐reinforced polymer (gFRP) composites. Although there are many reports that document performance enhancement in materials through the inclusion of graphene nanomaterials into a matrix, or its integration onto the reinforcing fiber component, only a few graphene‐based products have actually made the transition to the marketplace. The primary focus of this work concerns the structural gFRPs and discussion on the corresponding manufacturing methodologies for the effective incorporation of graphene into these systems. Another important aspect of this work is to present recent results and highlight the excellent functional and structural properties of the resulting gFRP materials with a view to their future applications. Development of clear standards for the assessment of graphene material properties, improvement of existing materials and scalable manufacturing technologies, and specific regulations concerning human health and environmental safety are key factors to accelerate the successful commercialization of gFRPs.

Comparative Study on Tribological Behavior of Graphene/Polyimide and Carbon Fibers/Polyimide Composites: A Review

“…Due to quality and good performance, they showed to be considered as a replacement for traditional materials. Nevertheless, challenges still exist, for examples: 1) Disparities in different material properties of commercial graphenes, such as size, structure, and purity which affect the expected results [77].…”

Time‐dependent properties of graphene nanoplatelets reinforced high‐density polyethylene

“…With the progress in nanotechnology, new multiscale, multifunctional polymeric materials with nanoscale reinforcements are being developed, and research continues to characterize their physical, thermal, and mechanical properties. Of these materials, polymers doped with nanoscale carbon derivatives (e.g., carbon nanotubes and graphene or graphene derivatives) are emerging as candidates for the automotive industry and other advanced applications, such as flexible electronics and smart structures 4 …”

Triaxial Carbon Nanotube/Conducting Polymer Wet-Spun Fibers Supercapacitors for Wearable Electronics

“…Within the last couple of years, an expansive effort has begun for development of ultrathin portable and flexible electronic devices and their integration into various wearable systems which has motivated the exploration for appropriate energy supply [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]. The incorporation of electronic components into common textile structures could facilitate free and easy access while allowing a number of smart functionalities such as sensing, actuating, energy storage or information processing [ 4 , 7 ]. In addition, fabrics provide an efficient basis to work with since they can be easily shaped into the human body form as well as providing easy access to the electronic equipment embedded within [ 8 ].…”

“…CNT fibers have been used previously as electrode material in SCs due to the combination of mechanical and electrical properties attainable [ 17 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 ]. Hybrid electrodes including both CNT and conducting polymer (CP) can take benefit from the large pseudocapacitance of the CPs coupled with the conductivity and mechanical strength of the CNT [ 7 , 40 , 42 , 43 ].…”