Design, manufacturing and process integration of nano-structured carbon enhanced lightweight composites

轻量化是在不同选择中为应用选择最佳材料的决定性因素。这对运输行业尤其重要，因为重量直接影响能源需求和燃料消耗。合成或天然纤维已被用于增强聚合物基质，以实现复合材料的轻质和性能之间的平衡。成功改善复合材料性能的关键是对纤维进行适当的表面处理，以实现与聚合物基体的最佳相互作用。然而，合成纤维的高密度和天然纤维的固有品质限制了复合材料重量的减少或降低了其性能。拟议研究的目标是使用工程生物碳材料和改进的发泡技术，为航空航天和汽车工业设计具有高耐热性和阻燃性的新一代轻质结构复合材料。催化途径将用于从生物炭（可再生碳）中生产和提取石墨状片材，然后对片材进行表面处理，以改善它们与聚合物基质的相互作用。我们预计，使用纳米级石墨片将提高聚合物的机械，热，和阻隔性能。将应用材料科学和热力学原理将纳米碳材料引入聚乙烯（PE）和聚丙烯（PP）共混物的界面，以增加它们的相容性并改善共混物的整体性能。这种工程复合材料将在制造汽车和航空航天内部零件方面有多种应用。为了进一步减轻复合材料的重量并提高其隔音和隔热性能，将开发批量发泡技术以控制复合材料中空隙的尺寸、密度和形状，以及优化产品的质量和性能。开发的材料和工艺将用于制造由哈钦森航空航天工业（蒙特利尔）制造的用于飞机的空气管道原型，以及用于福特（温莎）车辆的集成发动机美容罩和绝缘泡沫。

Lightweighting is the determining factor in selecting the best material for an application among different choices. It is especially important for transport industries, where weight directly influences energy requirements and fuel consumption. Synthetic or natural fibres have been used to reinforce polymeric matrices to achieve a balance between the light weight and performance of composites. The key to success in improving the properties of composites is an adequate surface treatment of the fibres for an optimum interaction with the polymeric matrix. However, the high density of the synthetic fibres and inherent qualities of natural fibres limit the reduction of the composite weight or reduce its performance. The goal of the proposed research is to use engineered bio-carbon materials and a modified foaming technology to design a new generation of lightweight structural composites with high thermal and flame resistance for the aerospace and automotive industries. Catalytic pathways will be used to produce and extract graphite-like sheets from biochar (renewable carbon), followed by surface treatment of the sheets to improve their interaction with the polymeric matrices. We expect that using nano-scale graphite sheets will improve the mechanical, thermal, and barrier properties of the polymers. Principles of materials science and thermodynamics will be applied to incorporate the nano-carbon materials at the interphase of a polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) blend to increase their compatibility and improve the overall properties of the blend. This engineered composite will have several applications in manufacturing automotive and aerospace interior parts. In order to further reduce the weight and increase the sound and thermal insulation properties of the composite, a batch foaming technique will be developed to control the size, density, and shape of the voids in the composite, as well as optimize the quality and performance of the product. The developed materials and processing will be used to make prototypes of an air duct manufactured by Hutchinson Aerospace & Industry (Montreal) used in aircrafts, and an integrated engine beauty cover and insulating foam used in Ford (Windsor) vehicles.