Electrical Resistance Sensing of Epoxy Curing Using an Embedded Carbon Nanotube Yarn

Curing effects were investigated by using the electrical response of a single carbon nanotube yarn (CNTY) embedded in an epoxy resin during the polymerization process. Two epoxy resins of different viscosities and curing temperatures were investigated, varying also the concentration of the curing agent. It is shown that the kinetics of resin curing can be followed by using the electrical response of an individual CNTY embedded in the resin. The electrical resistance of an embedded CNTY increased (~9%) after resin curing for an epoxy resin cured at 130 °C with viscosity of ~59 cP at the pouring/curing temperature (“Epon 862”), while it decreased (~ −9%) for a different epoxy cured at 60 °C, whose viscosity is about double at the corresponding curing temperature. Lowering the curing temperature from 60 °C to room temperature caused slower and smoother changes of electrical resistance over time and smaller (positive) residual resistance. Increasing the concentration of the curing agent caused a faster curing kinetics and, consequently, more abrupt changes of electrical resistance over time, with negative residual electrical resistance. Therefore, the resin viscosity and curing kinetics play a paramount role in the CNTY wicking, wetting and resin infiltration processes, which ultimately govern the electrical response of the CNTY immersed into epoxy.