Enhancing the material properties of carbon fiber epoxy composite by incorporating electrospun polyacrylonitrile nanofibers

Composite materials are a superior class of material used in almost every field of engineering like construction, military, aerospace, ocean structures, communication, and various other high-performance applications owing to their high specific strength and modulus, increased design flexibility, desirable thermal expansion characteristics good resistance to fatigue and corrosion, and economic efficiency. However, their ply-by-ply nature makes them susceptible to delamination, which originates from the propagation of microcracks in the weak resin-rich layers. Many attempts have been made to address the lack of mechanical properties of this weak interlaminar region. A particularly promising approach involves the incorporation of nanofibers between the reinforcement layers as the composite is laid up. This work involves studying the property improvements in carbon fiber epoxy composite by interleaving electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers. Experimental testing involving Tensile, Izod, Charpy and high velocity impact tests showed improved material properties for the PAN nano-interleaved composite. These improvements achieved by nanofiber interleaving shows a greater potential in addressing major concerns for critical application of composite materials in future.