Improvement of the electrical conductivity of carbon fiber reinforced polymer by incorporation of nanofillers and the resulting thermal and mechanical behavior

Abstract

This work tends to characterize the effect of carbon black nanofillers on the properties of the woven carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic polymers. First of all, composites from nanofilled Polyamide 6 resin reinforced by carbon fibers were fabricated. Scanning electron microscopy observations were performed to localize the nanoparticles and showed that particles penetrated the fiber zone. In fact, by reaching this zone, the carbon black nanofillers create a connectivity's network between fibers, which produces an easy pathway for the electrical current. It explains the noticed improvement of the electrical conductivity of the carbon black nanofilled composites. Electrical conductivity of neat matrix composite passed from 20 to 80 S/cm by adding 8 wt% of carbon black and to 140 S/cm by adding 16 wt% of the same nanofiller. The addition of nanofillers modifies the heating and cooling laws of carbon fiber reinforced polymer: the nanofilled carbon fiber reinforced polymer with 16 wt% is the most conductive so it heats less. Based on these results, the use of the composite itself as an indicator of this mechanical state might be possible. In fact, the study of the influence of a mechanical loading on the electrical properties of the composite by recording the variance of an electrical set is possible.