Multifunctional Carbon Fibre Surface and Composite Interphase

传统纤维表面和传统复合材料界面的多功能特性一直是材料科学与工程领域广泛关注的问题。利用纳米填料（如石墨烯纳米片或碳纳米管）在碳纤维表面层次化纳米结构，开发多功能复合材料的研究还有待进一步深入。目前还没有关于纳米颗粒在增强纤维拉伸、界面和复合力学性能方面的作用的信息。在提案中，碳纳米颗粒材料将被用于将机械和电气功能集成到传统碳纤维表面和复合界面中。具有纳米级组成/性能梯度的界面相将有望实现定制的机械性能。重要的是，我们将强调基于纤维表面导电碳纳米填充物网络的自诊断能力。我们将确定复合界面的最初弱点可以接管传感应用的新角色。通过结构健康监测了解复合材料在应力/应变、温度和湿度下的结构形成和结构变化。具有新型纳米级界面传感能力的复合材料可以通过在裂缝变得关键之前感知裂缝，使下一代复合材料（即飞机）更加安全，这也可以在许多领域找到应用，例如智能复合材料制造，化学反应或液体泄漏检测等。

Multi-functions at conventional fibre surface and traditional composite interphases have been attracting extensive scientific attention in materials science and engineering. The investigation on the hierarchical nanostructured carbon fibre surface with nano-fillers (i.e. graphene nanoplateletes or carbon nanotubes) for developing multi-functional composite materials is yet to explore in details. No information on the role of the nanoparticles on strengthening the fibre tensile, interface and composite mechanical properties is available. In the proposal, carbon nanoparticle materials will be used to integrate mechanical and electrical functionalities into conventional carbon fibre surfaces and composite interphases. The interphase with a nanometre-scale composition/property gradient will be expected to achieve tailor mechanical properties. Importantly, we will highlight the self-diagnosing ability based on the electrical conducting carbon nano-filler networks on the fibre surface. We will identify that the originally weak point of a composite interphase can take over new roles for sensing applications. Understanding the structure forming and structural changes in response to stress/strain, temperature and moisture by structure health monitoring in composites will be studied. The composite materials with novel nanoscale interphase sensing capabilities could make the next generation of composites (i.e., for aeroplanes) safer by sensing cracks before they become critical, which may also find applications in many fields, such as smart composite fabrication, chemical reaction or liquid leak detection, et al.