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US 2014/0356613 A1Published application
Carbon nanotube studded carbon fiber tow and matrix prepreg
AssigneesMaterials Sciences Corporation, University of Kentucky Research Foundation
InventorsMatthew Collins Weisenberger, John Davis Craddock, Richard Foedinger
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Abstract
A carbon nanotube studded carbon fiber tow and matrix prepreg includes a body comprising a tow of surface fibers and interior bulk fibers. The surface fibers are studded with carbon nanotubes and the carbon fibers are infiltrated with a matrix material.
Claims24
A method of making a carbon nanotube studded carbon fiber tow and matrix prepreg, comprising:
- applying a silicon containing material to a tow of carbon fibers to introduce a silicon containing coating on surfaces of said carbon fibers to support carbon nanotube growth;
- growing carbon nanotubes on said surfaces of said carbon fibers using a chemical vapor deposition process;
- and
- infiltrating said tow of carbon fibers with a matrix material to produce said carbon nanotube studded carbon fiber tow and matrix prepreg.
1 more element
A carbon nanotube studded carbon fiber tow and matrix prepreg, comprising:
- a body having 40 to 70 weight percent carbon fiber, 3 to 50 weight percent carbon nanotubes to carbon fiber and 30 to 60 weight percent matrix, said carbon fibers having a diameter of 5-10 microns spread into a thin band of filaments having a thickness of 10-1,000 microns and a width of 1-10 cm whereby said band has a thickness to individual filament diameter of 1-to-1 to 100-to-1 and said band includes between 3,000 and 50,000 filaments.
A method of making a carbon nanotube studded carbon fiber tow and matrix prepreg, comprising:
- (a) increasing percentage of surface fibers to interior, bulk volume fibers comprising a small count carbon fiber tow with a fiber count of between 10 and 3000 fibers;
- (b) applying a silicon containing material to said small count carbon fiber tow to introduce a silicon containing coating on surfaces of said carbon fibers to support carbon nanotube growth;
- (c) growing carbon nanotubes on said surfaces of said carbon fibers using a chemical vapor deposition process to prepare a plurality of parallel small count carbon fiber tows;
- (d) joining said multiple small count carbon fiber tows in parallel;
- and
- (e) infiltrating said joined tow of carbon fibers with matrix material to produce said carbon nanotube studded carbon fiber tow and matrix prepreg.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.