Abstract
Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) exhibit amongst the best mechanical, thermal and electrical properties of any known material. With their very high aspect ratios, SWCNT are well-suited to making ultra-light multifunctional structural composites. In this work, covalent chemistry is used to integrate SWCNT into a single component epoxy resin (aerospace grade MY0510) as well as an industrialized epoxy resin system for sporting goods. In particular, reduced SWCNT react directly with epoxide groups to create direct connections to the resin backbone. As the reduction process naturally exfoliates the SWCNT bundles, excellent dispersion is readily obtained. Substantial mechanical property improvements of the modified resin and carbon fibre composites have been observed through well-controlled processing. Their mechanical properties, specifically impact resistance, compression after impact strength and fracture toughness of the modified resin and fibre composites are discussed.