Research Projects

Carbon fibre reinforced epoxy (CFRE) composites are widely used in the aerospace industry, accounting for up to 80% of overall composite consumption. These materials offer exceptional specific strength, stiffness, and design flexibility. However, their performance depends on fibre properties, matrix properties, and interface. The effectiveness of stress transfer between matrix and fibre depends on adhesion at the interface. To address these issues, fillers have been incorporated into the matrix through solvent-assisted methods and deposited on the fibre surface through chemical vapour deposition (CVD) and chemical grafting techniques. However, due to complexities in fabrication, long processing times, high temperatures, and catalysts, their commercial viability remains uncertain. This study aims to use electrophoretic deposition (EPD) to coat hybrid graphene oxide/carbon nanotube (GO/CNT) nanoparticles synthesized through different covalent and non-covalent functionalization routes on carbon fibre fabric. The rationale behind using hybrid nanoparticles is to exploit the positive synergetic effect of combining 2D-GO and 1D-CNT, resulting in a stronger matrix/fibre interface. The modified epoxy matrix will be infiltrated into the electrophoretically deposited CF fabric by vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) process, and the effect of modifications will be evaluated through interlaminar shear strength, flexural strength, transverse fibre bundle, and fracture toughness tests.