Revolutionary treatment boosts strength of carbon fiber composites by over 50%
Researchers enhanced the strength of carbon fiber composites by treating the fiber surface with MWCNTs and PyC using CVD. They found that composites made with PyC-coated fiber showed a 54% increase in flexure strength and a 53% increase in interlaminar shear strength compared to untreated composites. Fractographic analysis revealed that mechanisms like CNT pullout and crack bridging contributed to the improved strength of the composites.