NT.28 MICROSYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY LABORATORIES ANNUAL RESEARCH REPORT 2009 NANOTECHNOLOGY NANOTECHNOLOGY Aligned CNT-based Microstructures and Nano-engineered Composite Macrostructures B. L. Wardle, R. Guzman de Villoria, N. Yamamoto, H. Cebeci, J. Blanco, H. M. Duong, F. Fachin, S. L. Figueredo, K. Ishiguro, W. Kim, L. Megalini, S. P. Pont, S. A. Steiner III, S. Vaddiraju, S. Wicks Sponsorship: Nano-Engineered Composite aerospace STructures (NECST) Consortium, NSF, Fulbright IS&T Fellowship Carbon nanotube (CNT) composites are promising new materials for structural applications thanks to their mechanical and multifunctional properties. We have undertaken a signiicant experimentally-based program to understand both microstructures of aligned- CNT nanocomposites and nano-engineered advanced composite macrostructures hybridized with aligned CNTs. Aligned nanocomposites are fabricated by mechanical densiication and polymer wetting of aligned CNT forests [1]. Polymer wetting is driven by capillary forces that arise upon contact of the polymer with the nanostructured CNT forest [2], [3], the rate of which depends on properties of the CNT forest (e.g., volume fraction) and the polymer (viscosity, contact angle, etc.). Here the polymer is unmodiied aerospace-grade epoxy. CNT forests are grown to mm-heights on 1-cm 2 Si substrates using a modiied chemical vapor deposition process. Following growth, the forests are released from the substrate and can be handled and iniltrated. The volume fraction of the as-grown CNT forests is about 1%; however, the distance between the CNTs (and thus the volume fraction of the forest) can be varied by applying a compressive force along the two axes of the plane of the forest to give volume fractions of CNTs exceeding 20%. Variable-volume fraction-aligned CNT nanocomposites were characterized using optical, scanning electron (SEM) and transmission electron (TEM) microscopy to analyze dispersion and alignment of CNTs as well as overall morphology. Physical property testing is underway. Nano-engineered composite macrostructures hybridized with aligned CNTs are prepared by placing long (>20 µm) aligned CNTs at the interface of advanced composite plies as reinforcement in the through-thickness axis of the laminate. Three fabrication routes were developed: transplantation of CNT forests onto pre-impregnated plies [4] (the “nano-stitch” method), placement of detached CNT forests between two fabrics followed by subsequent infusion of matrix, and in situ growth of aligned CNTs onto the surface of ceramic ibers followed by infusion or hand-layup [5]. Aligned CNTs are observed at the composite ply interfaces and give rise to signiicant improvement in interlaminar strength, toughness, and electrical properties. Interestingly, toughness improvement has demonstrated a favorable nano-scale size effect [6]. Analysis of the multifunctional properties and nanoscale interactions between the constituents in both the nanocomposites and hybrid macrostructures is underway. A new route to fabricate these materials in a continuous way is being developed. REFERENCES [1] B. L. Wardle, D. S. Saito, E. J. Garcia, A. J. Hart and R. Guzman de Villoria, “Fabrication and Characterization of Ultra-High Volume Fraction Aligned Carbon-Nanotube-Polymer Composites”, Advanced Materials, vol. 20, pp. 2707- 2714, 2008. [2] E. J. García, A. J. Hart, B. L. Wardle and A. H. Slocum, “Fabrication of composite microstructures by capillarity- driven wetting of aligned carbon nanotubes with polymers”, Nanotechnology, vol. 18, pp. 165602-165613, 2007. [3] E. J. García, A. J. Hart, B. L. Wardle and A. H. Slocum, “Fabrication and Nanocompression Testing of Aligned Carbon-Nanotube- Polymer Nanocomposites”, Advanced Materials, vol. 19, pp. 2151-2156, 2007. [4] E. J. Garcia, B. L. Wardle and A. J. Hart, “Joining Prepreg Composite Interfaces with Aligned Carbon Nanotubes”, Composites Part A vol. 39, pp. 1065-1070, 2008. [5] N. Yamamoto, A. J. Hart, S. S.Wicks, E. J. Garcia, B. L.Wardle and A. H. Slocum, “High- yield atmospheric-pressure growth of aligned carbon nanotubes on ceramic ibers for multifunctional enhancement of structural composites”, Carbon , vol. 47, pp. 551-560, 2009. [6] J. Blanco, E. J. Garcia, R. Guzman deVilloria and B. L. Wardle, “Limiting Mechanisms in Mode I Interlaminar Toughness of Composites Reinforced with Aligned Carbon Nanotubes”, Journal of Composite Materials, vol. 43, no. 8, pp. 825-841, 2009. FIGURE 1: Aligned-CNT nanocomposites via biaxial mechanical densiication of CNT forests. FIGURE 2: Aligned-CNT nano- engineered composite macro- scale architectures.