Scalable High Tensile Modulus Composite Laminates Using Continuous Carbon Nanotube Yarns for Aerospace Applications

Abstract

An approach is established for fabricating high-strength and highstiffness composite laminates with continuous carbon nanotube (CNT) yarns for scaled-up mechanical tests and potential aerospace structure applications. Continuous CNT yarns with up to 80% degree of nanotube alignment and a unique self-assembled graphitic CNT packing result in their specific tensile strengths of 1.77 ± 0.07 N/tex and an apparent specific modulus of 92.6 ± 3.2 N/ tex. Unidirectional CNT yarn reinforced composite laminates with a CNT concentration of greater than 80 wt % and minimal microscale voids are fabricated using filament winding and aerospace-grade resin matrices. A specific tensile strength of up to 1.71 GPa/(g cm −3 ) and specific modulus of 256 GPa/(g cm −3 ) are realized; the specific modulus exceeds current state-of-the-art unidirectional carbon fiber composite laminates. The specific modulus of the laminates is 2.76 times greater than the specific modulus of the constituent CNT yarns, a phenomenon not observed in carbon fiber reinforced composites. The results demonstrate an effective approach for fabricating high-strength CNT yarns into composites for applications that require specific tensile modulus properties that are significantly beyond state-of-the-art carbon fiber composites and potentially open an unexplored performance region in the Ashby chart for composite material applications.

Multiaxial filament winding of biopolymer microfibers with a collagen resin binder for orthobiologic medical device biomanufacturing

“…To counter current limitations in the fibrous implant manufacturing field for orthopedics R&D and elsewhere, we investigated adapting filament winding to create biologically compatible, scalable, high-strength medical device implants. Multi-axial filament winding is an additive manufacturing technique used widely in large industrial and military applications ranging from carbon fiber bike frames to missile casing and helicopter propeller manufacturing and more [20][21][22]. This work reports on the successful first adaptation of multiaxial filament winding to biomanufacturer scalable, strong, 3D microfiber (3DMF) medical device implants with extraordinary tensile strength in a process that can be manufactured at an industrial scale using an accessible and affordable benchtop system.…”