Evaluating the mechanical performance of supercritical CO2 fabricated polyamide 6,6/PMMA, fiber reinforced composites

Recent advancements in SC CO2 mediated synthesis and material processing have led to polymer-polymer blends and composite materials with complex morphologies, exhibiting long-range order and orientation on multiple length-scales from the nanometer to the centimeter scale. The material under consideration in this work is a polyamide 6,6 (nylon)/poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) fiber-reinforced composite that was fabricated in a unique SC CO2 assisted process. The tensile and flexural properties of these unique composites are studied and the evolution of damage and energy dissipation are monitored through cyclic loading and microscopic analysis of post-stressed composite cross sections. It is shown that this morphology leads to improved flexural modulus and increased ultimate strength with only a small decrease in tensile modulus. These composites also exhibited significant improvements in stress distribution and load transfer without the use of fiber sizing agents for fiber/matrix compatibilization.