Functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes for carbon fiber-epoxy composites

Functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are explored as nanoreinforcement for carbon fiber/ epoxy composites. SWNTs functionalized with carboxylic acid groups (SWNT-COOH) are dispersed in epoxy and are used for infiltration of carbon fabric (CF) by the vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding technique to fabricate SWNT-COOH/epoxy/CF composites. Mechanical tests demonstrate that the incorporation of SWNT-COOH improves the mechanical performance of the composites and produces a 40% enhancement of the shear strength at a SWNT-COOH loading of 0.5 wt %.