TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibers as interfacial strengthener in continuous-fiber reinforced polymer composites

Publication date: 5 November 2017
Source:Materials & Design, Volume 133
Author(s): B.E.B. Uribe, E.M.S. Chiromito, A.J.F. Carvalho, R. Arenal, J.R. Tarpani
This paper presents a fast and practical route to improve the stress transfer of continuous fiber-reinforced polymer matrix composite laminates. This method concerns on-the-surface treatment of unsized carbon and glass fiber fabrics with 2,2,6,6-TetraMethyl-1-PiperidinylOxy (TEMPO) oxidized cellulose nanofibers before the laminate manufacturing step. The proposed method generated an increase in ultimate flexural strength of 62% and 54% for carbon and glass fiber-reinforced epoxy, respectively, and enhanced the out-of-plane properties of both hierarchical systems, as proved by short beam strength test, which showed an improvement of approximately 40% for both. The nanocellulose interphase was measured via transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) techniques, showing a thickness of approximately 20 nm for the hierarchical carbon fiber composite laminate.Taking into account these results, this method demonstrates to be a useful alternative in the design and manufacturing of modern hierarchical composite structures.

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