Preparation and Properties of Carbon Fiber/Carbon Nanotube Wet-Laid Composites

In this study, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were introduced into carbon fiber (CF) wet-laid composites as functional nano-fillers to fabricate multi-functional composites with improved mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties. It was considered that the wet-laid process was most suitable in order to introduce filler into brittle and rigid carbon fiber substrates, and we established the conditions of the process that could impart dispersibility and bonding between the fibers. We introduced polyamide 6 (PA6) short fiber, which is the same polymeric material as the stacking film, into carbon fiber and CNT mixture to enhance the binding interactions between carbon fiber and CNTs. Various types of CNT-reinforced carbon fiber wet-laid composites with PA6 short fibers were prepared, and the morphology, mechanical and electrical properties of the composites were estimated. As CNT was added to the carbon fiber nonwoven, the electrical conductivity increased by 500% but the tensile strength decreased slightly. By introducing short fibers of the same material as the matrix between CNT–CF wet-laid nonwovens, it was possible to find optimum conditions to increase the electrical conductivity while maintaining mechanical properties.