Pulsed Laser Deposition of SWCNTs on Carbon Fibres: Effect of Deposition Temperature

Single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were grown on either sized or desized carbon fabric in a self-designed reactor by Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD). The uniqueness of the PLD system lies, among other things, in the ability to keep the substrate at a low temperature, compared to the 1100 °C needed for the SWCNTs synthesis, thus, rendering it undamaged. Samples were placed at different positions on a cold finger (CF), where a temperature gradient develops, in the range 25–565 °C. The chemical composition and morphology of desized and surface treatments, as well as SWCNTs grown on carbon fibres, were verified by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) equipped with Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDX), while the quality of SWCNTs was proven by confocal micro-Raman Spectroscopy and High-Resolution Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (HR-STEM). Fibres covered with SWCNTs by PLD were characterized using contact angle and the surface free energy was calculated. A micro-droplet pull-out test was used to evaluate the effect of SWCNTs over interfacial properties of a carbon-epoxy composite. A 20% increase in interfacial shear strength (IFSS) was observed by deposition at 290 °C, compared to the commercial carbon fibre sizing. The carbon fibres kept their tensile properties due to the low deposition temperatures.