Optimizing hierarchical carbon nanotube-grafted carbon fiber production
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Conference Paper
Abstract
The promise of state-of-the-art-fiber reinforced composites containing carbon nanotube-grafted-carbon fibers has been in development since the early 90s. The main hurdle to manufacturing a hierarchical reinforced composite coupon/component, is the volume of modified fibers required. This requirement, is in turn dependent on repeatable, well-controlled and robust growth regime to ensure that the carbon nanotube coverage is uniform and consistent along the fibers, and subsequently throughout
the composite. Failure to ensure that the modification is constant can result in stress concentrations in the regions of the fibers with variable length/coverage. Whilst there has been some limited development in woven fabrics being modified by growing carbon nanotubes in closed chemical vapor deposition (CVD) tubular reactors; to achieve a route towards industrial scale-up modification of the fiber tow is required, as well an open CVD reactor to facilitate the fibers being passed through the reactor unimpeded making the process continuous. The production of spool-to-spool open CVD on whole carbon fiber tows has been reported previously, but with limited evidence of prolonged and robust conditions, or a constant carbon nanotube-grafted-carbon fiber product over tens or more meters. Presented here are results of
optimizing the carbon nanotube growth process on carbon fiber 12K tow in a bespoke open CVD reactor.
the composite. Failure to ensure that the modification is constant can result in stress concentrations in the regions of the fibers with variable length/coverage. Whilst there has been some limited development in woven fabrics being modified by growing carbon nanotubes in closed chemical vapor deposition (CVD) tubular reactors; to achieve a route towards industrial scale-up modification of the fiber tow is required, as well an open CVD reactor to facilitate the fibers being passed through the reactor unimpeded making the process continuous. The production of spool-to-spool open CVD on whole carbon fiber tows has been reported previously, but with limited evidence of prolonged and robust conditions, or a constant carbon nanotube-grafted-carbon fiber product over tens or more meters. Presented here are results of
optimizing the carbon nanotube growth process on carbon fiber 12K tow in a bespoke open CVD reactor.
Date Issued
2026-02-10
Date Acceptance
2025-05-01
Citation
2026
Publisher
The University of Delaware
Copyright Statement
Copyright © 2025 The Author(s). This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).
License URL
Source
24th International Conference on Composite Materials (ICCM-24)
Publication Status
Published
Start Date
2025-08-04
Finish Date
2025-08-08
Coverage Spatial
Baltimore, MD, USA
Date Publish Online
2026-02-10