Carbon nanotube film produces aerospace-grade composites with no need for huge ovens or autoclaves.

MIT News  January 13, 2020
A team of researchers in the US (MIT, industry) utilized a nanomaterial with morphology‐controlled nanoscale capillaries to manufacture aerospace‐grade advanced carbon fiber composites without utilizing pressure from an autoclave. They demonstrated that the capillary pressure from a nanoporous film replaces the need for applied pressure to manufacture void‐free layered polymeric architectures. The nanomaterial‐enabled capillary pressure is quantified as 50% greater than typical pressures used in such processing. The technique may help to speed up the manufacturing of airplanes and other large, high-performance composite structures, such as blades for wind turbines…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE