Deformability of a textile reinforcement modified with nanofibres

Deformability of a textile fabric is studied experimentally using a) friction test, b) out-of-plane compression, and c) bending. These tests reveal that a grafting of the fabric with carbon nano-fibres can significantly deteriorate its deformability. Therefore an optimal CNF mass fraction should be chosen for a particular production case, to obtain a compromise between improved strength and decreased drapability

Synthesis of Carbon Nanofibers on Large Woven Cloth

This experimental study aims at the in situ growth of carbon nano-fibers (CNFs) on relatively large (25 × 30 cm2) single-layer carbon-fiber fabrics. It is shown that CNFs can be grown with the distribution potentially suitable for a future use in polymer-matrix composite materials. Details of tuning the catalyst deposition method and the CNF growth process are presented and analyzed. In particular, the Ni catalyst deposition method and the type of solvent are shown to strongly influence the uniformity of a CNF growth on carbon fibers, and sometimes even processibility of the whole specimen