Analysis and simulation of the electrical properties of CNTs/epoxy nanocomposites for high performance composite matrices

Carbon fiber composite laminates have good electrical properties due to the performance of the fibers, but the composite anisotropy induces a quite lower conductivity through the thickness. In fact, in this direction the fiber bundles are separated by insulating epoxy matrix. In this work, CNTs (carbon nanotubes) with different geometries and functionalization have been added to an epoxy resin to improve the electrical performance. The nanofilled matrix has been used to produce carbon fiber (CF) composites for aerospace applications. Multiscale modeling was used to predict some important parameters such as percolation threshold and the model has been successfully verified with experimental results. The results reported show a good improvement of the electrical and mechanical properties both in the matrix and in the composites. In particular, in composites with the nanocomposite matrix, an improvement of one order of magnitude in the electrical conductivity through the laminate thickness has been achieved. POLYM. COMPOS., 38:105–115, 2017. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers