Lightning strike protection skin

A method of forming an aircraft component, comprising:

• providing a thermoplastic composite (TPC) skin, a lightning strike protection (LSP) material, and a resin film layer;
• arranging the TPC skin on a tool;
• depositing the LSP material onto the TPC skin and the resin film layer on the LSP layer to form a material stack with the LSP material between the TPC skin and the resin film layer;
• consolidating the material stack to provide a consolidated TPC structure;
• and
• depositing a thin film (TF) layer on the consolidated TPC structure using a plasma treatment process, the TF layer including a TF material comprising an epoxy, an epoxy functional siloxane or an amine functional siloxane.

A formation method, comprising:

• providing a thermoplastic composite (TPC) skin and a lightning strike protection (LSP) material comprising metal mesh or metal foil;
• arranging the TPC skin with the LSP material to provide a material stack;
• consolidating the material stack to provide a consolidated TPC structure;
• arranging the consolidated TPC structure within a plasma treatment chamber;
• introducing gaseous TF material into the plasma treatment chamber;
• ionizing the gaseous TF material using an energy source to bond TF material onto the consolidated TPC structure, the TF material comprising an amine functional group with silicon or an epoxy functional group;
• and
• applying a paint layer on the consolidated TPC structure with the bonded TF material to form an aircraft component.