Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube-EnabledConductive Adhesives for AerospaceApplications

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were incorporated at low loading (up to ~1 wt%) into an unfilled adhesive to impart electrical conductivity while maintaining the structural bonding capability of the baseline, aerospace-grade adhesive. Conductivities as high as 10-1 S m-1 and typically ~ 10-3 S m-1 were achieved for 1 wt% SWCNT-adhesives. The structural bonding performance of composite-to-composite joints, evaluated in lapshear and peel tests, was reasonably maintained for adhesives containing 0.5 wt% and 1 wt% SWCNTs.