SBIR Phase I: CNT-Enhanced carbon fiber structural composite with high performance and spec-tunability

与现有的碳纤维增强聚合物复合材料相比，SBIR一期项目的更广泛影响将是材料重量更轻、更坚韧、更耐用。这将允许公司将这些材料纳入其产品中，通过制造重量更轻的产品和车辆来节省能源，并提高里程和燃料经济性，从而减少温室气体排放。在航空航天应用中，有效载荷将减少，从而节省资金和能源。在国防应用中，更坚固的材料将提高可靠性，减少现场维修，这可能是危险的。在所有这些应用程序中，灾难性故障的可能性都降低了。这个小企业创新研究的第一阶段项目将通过改善纤维/基体的整合和开发一个夹层（施胶层）来提高碳纤维增强聚合物复合材料（CFRPs）的强度，以保护CFRPs不因界面处积累的应力而被破坏。该项目将通过使用专利的表面工程工艺，最大限度地减少或消除界面弱点。该工艺使碳纤维表面功能化，显著提高了基体树脂在纤维表面的润湿性。主要的技术目标是开发一种表面工程工艺，以提高纤维/基质的润湿性。与报道的方法不同，所提出的表面工程将处理任何尺寸大于100毫米的纤维，每次载荷超过5层。在施胶聚合物中加入碳纳米管（CNTs），以促进碳纤维增强材料与基体之间的应力传递。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact of this SBIR Phase I project will be materials that are lighter weight, tougher and more durable than existing carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites. This will allow companies incorporating these materials into their products to save energy by making products and vehicles that are lighter weight and also to improve range and fuel economy which will subsequently reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In aerospace applications payloads will be reduced saving both money and energy. In defense applications, tougher materials will improve reliability and reduce field repairs, which can be dangerous. In all these applications, the likelihood of catastrophic failures is reduced. This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will enhance the strength of carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites (CFRPs) by improving the fiber/matrix integration and developing an interlayer (sizing layer) to protect CFRPs from being broken down by stress accumulated at the interface. This project will minimize or eliminate the interfacial weak points by using a patented surface engineering process. The process functionalizes the surface of the carbon fibers and dramatically promotes the wettability of the matrix resin on the fiber surface. The principal technical objective is to develop a surface engineering process that will improve the fiber/matrix wettability. Distinguished from the reported methods, the proposed surface engineering will process fibers larger than 100 mm in any dimension and more than five plies per load. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) will be added to the sizing polymer to facilitate stress transfer between the carbon fiber reinforcements and the matrix.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.