Improving the interlaminar shear strength and thermal conductivity of carbon fiber/epoxy laminates by utilizing the graphene-coated carbon fiber

The poor interlaminar properties restrict the application of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites. In this work, a novel method for fabricating a graded interface structure is developed to improve the through-thickness thermal conductivity of CFRP composites. High-strength graphene nano-plates (GnP) and phenolic resin (PF) were selected to deposit on the surface of carbon fiber to design a novel CF/Epoxy laminates, where a simultaneous improvement of interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) and through-thickness thermal conductivity was observed. With addition of 1 wt % of GnP-PF in CF, 37.04% increase of the ILSS, and 16.67% enhancement of thermal conductivity compared to the original CFRP. The mechanism for improvement of both ILSS and thermal conductivity was studied by scanning electron microscopy and nano-indentation, where a better interface formed by GnP-PF has been clearly observed. (c) 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.