Synthesis and Characterization of Carbon Fiber Nanocomposite Using Titanium Dioxide and Silicon Carbide Nanomaterials

Abstract

Carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRPs) have spread to a wide range of industries in recent decades, including the automobile, aeronautics, and space industries. Recently, the emergence of new requirements for improved properties and features has become one of the major drivers of the introduction of innovative methodologies and process optimization. In this study, the effect of nanomaterials on the behavior of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites was investigated experimentally. The grafting of TiO2 and SiC nanomaterials onto the surface of fibers was performed by mixing nanomaterials in the epoxy resin. CFRPs were manufactured using vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) in this study and characterized using mechanical and thermal testing. The primary test parameters were carbon fiber with epoxy resin and 0% nanomaterials by weight. An increase in properties was observed in nanocomposite with 2% wt. of nanomaterials when compared with 0, 0.5, and 1% wt. Between 0 wt.% and 2 wt.%, the tensile strength, flexural strength, impact strength, hardness, and HDT properties were increased by 17%, 39%, 32%, 14% and 21%, respectively, due to the addition of nanomaterials into the resin.