High Volume Fraction Carbon Nanotube Composites for Aerospace Applications

Reported nanoscale mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) suggest that their use may enable the fabrication of significantly lighter structures for use in space applications. To be useful in the fabrication of large structures, however, their attractive nanoscale properties must be retained as they are scaled up to bulk materials and converted into practically useful forms. Advances in CNT production have significantly increased the quantities available for use in manufacturing processes, but challenges remain with the retention of nanoscale properties in larger assemblies of CNTs. This work summarizes recent progress in producing carbon nanotube composites with tensile properties approaching those of carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites. These advances were achieved in nanocomposites with CNT content of ~70% by weight. The processing methods explored to yield these CNT composite properties will be discussed, as will the characterization and test methods that were developed to provide insight into the factors that contribute to the enhanced tensile properties. Technology maturation was guided by parallel advancements in computational modeling tools that aided in the interpretation of experimental data.