Effects of the Electrophoretic Deposition of CNTs on the Mechanical Properties of Ti/CFRP Composite Laminates

[Image: see text] The interfacial performance between metals and resins significantly affects the mechanical properties of fiber–metal laminates. In this study, CNTs were deposited on a titanium surface via electrophoretic deposition (EPD) to improve the interfacial performance of Ti/carbon fiber-reinforced polymer composite laminates. Before EPD, the titanium plates were treated by either sandblasting, anodizing, or sandblasting/anodizing. A macroscopically rough surface and an oxide layer were formed by sandblasting and anodizing, then CNTs were deposited, and a porous layer was obtained, which improved the wettability and bonding strength. Finally, the static mechanical properties (single-lap properties, bending properties, and interlaminar shear properties) and dynamic mechanical properties (impact resistance) of the laminates were systematically explored. The introduction of CNTs played an important role in dispersing and carrying loads and providing a strong crack propagation resistance, which improved the laminates’ static mechanical properties and reduced the delamination damage under dynamic impact. Compared with the original composite laminates, the bond strength, bending strength, and interlaminar shear strength of the laminates deposited with CNTs after sandblasting were increased by 117.94, 46.85, and 145.61%, respectively. When the impact energy was 35 J, the damage area of the composite laminate deposited with CNTs was decreased by 27.75%.