Phys.org July 26, 2023
Researchers at Texas A&M University introduced a programmable spray coating process for depositing multiple nanomaterials with tailorable patterns in composite. They showed that such patterns regulate the formation of interfaces, damage containment, and electrical-thermal conductivity of the composites, which is absent in conventional manufacturing that primarily rely on incorporating nanomaterials to achieve specific functionalities. Molecular dynamics simulations showed that increasing the hydrophilicity of the hybrid nanomaterials improved the interactions between the carbon surfaces and epoxy at the interfaces, manifested in enhanced interlaminar and flexural performance. Transitioning from ring to disk created a larger interconnected network leading to improved thermal and electrical properties without penalty in mechanical properties. According to the researchers their method introduces a new design, where the mechanical and multifunctional performance is controlled by the shape of the deposited patterns, thus eliminating the trade-off between properties… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLEÂ
The researchers are utilizing disk and ring formations of multiple nanomaterials to tailor multifunctionality… Credit: Dr. Amir Asadi