Mechanical Characterization and Morphology Study of a Novel Class of Carbon Nanotube Textiles and Composites

Abstract

Carbon nanotube yarns are an emerging class of carbon nanotube materials that show great promise in composite applications. This research study was conducted to gain insight into the morphological structure of the yarns and to correlate their structure to the mechanical properties of both dry yarns and composites. Complex 3-D braided nanotube yarn structures were provided to determine the mechanical properties of macroscopic samples and to determine the effect of processing on the yarns. To accomplish these goals, baseline samples of carbon fiber were tested, a microscopical study was conducted, the cross sectional area of the samples were properly determined, composites were fabricated, and samples of the dry nanotube yarn structures as well as their composites were tested in tension.

The results of this study showed that in composite structures with low viscosity resin, the nanotube yarns did not act as the constituent reinforcement. Due to resin penetration through the yarns structures, the individual nanotubes that make up the yarns acted as the constituent reinforcement. In addition, the testing of the 3-D braided yarn structures showed that this process did not significantly weaken the structure and could be useful in making macroscopic preforms of carbon nanotube yarns.