Mechanical, electrical and microstructural characterisation of multifunctional structural power composites

Greenhalgh, E.S.; Ankersen, J.; Asp, L.E.; Bismarck, A.; Fontana, Q.P.V.; Houlle, M.; Kalinka, G.; Kucernak, A.; Mistry, M.; Nguyen, S.; Qian, H.; Shaffer, M.S.P.; Shirshova, N.; Steinke, J.H.G.; Wienrich, M.

doi:10.1177/0021998314554125

Mechanical, electrical and microstructural characterisation of multifunctional structural power composites

Greenhalgh, E.S.; Ankersen, J.; Asp, L.E.; Bismarck, A.; Fontana, Q.P.V.; Houlle, M.; Kalinka, G.; Kucernak, A.; Mistry, M.; Nguyen, S.; Qian, H.; Shaffer, M.S.P.; Shirshova, N.; Steinke, J.H.G.; Wienrich, M.

Authors

E.S. Greenhalgh

J. Ankersen

L.E. Asp

A. Bismarck

Q.P.V. Fontana

M. Houlle

G. Kalinka

A. Kucernak

M. Mistry

S. Nguyen

H. Qian

M.S.P. Shaffer

Dr Natasha Shirshova natasha.shirshova@durham.ac.uk
Associate Professor

J.H.G. Steinke

M. Wienrich

Abstract

Multifunctional composites which can fulfil more than one role within a system have attracted considerable interest. This work focusses on structural supercapacitors which simultaneously carry mechanical load whilst storing/delivering electrical energy. Critical mechanical properties (in-plane shear and in-plane compression performance) of two monofunctional and four multifunctional materials were characterised, which gave an insight into the relationships between these properties, the microstructures and fracture processes. The reinforcements included baseline T300 fabric, which was then either grafted or sized with carbon nanotubes, whilst the baseline matrix was MTM57, which was blended with ionic liquid and lithium salt (two concentrations) to imbue multifunctionality. The resulting composites exhibited a high degree of matrix heterogeneity, with the ionic liquid phase preferentially forming at the fibres, resulting in poor matrix-dominated properties. However, fibre-dominated properties were not depressed. Thus, it was demonstrated that these materials can now offer weight savings over conventional monofunctional systems when under modest loading.

Citation

Greenhalgh, E., Ankersen, J., Asp, L., Bismarck, A., Fontana, Q., Houlle, M., …Wienrich, M. (2015). Mechanical, electrical and microstructural characterisation of multifunctional structural power composites. Journal of Composite Materials, 49(15), 1823-1834. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021998314554125

Journal Article Type	Article
Online Publication Date	Oct 7, 2014
Publication Date	Jun 1, 2015
Deposit Date	Dec 13, 2016
Publicly Available Date	Jun 26, 2018
Journal	Journal of Composite Materials
Print ISSN	0021-9983
Electronic ISSN	1530-793X
Publisher	SAGE Publications
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	49
Issue	15
Pages	1823-1834
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1177/0021998314554125
Related Public URLs	http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/31487

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Copyright Statement
Greenhalgh, E. S., Ankersen, J., Asp, L. E., Bismarck, A., Fontana, Q. P. V., Houlle, M., Kalinka, G., Kucernak, A., Mistry, M., Nguyen, S., Qian, H., Shaffer, M. S. P., Shirshova, N., Steinke, J. H. G. & Wienrich, M. (2015). Mechanical, electrical and microstructural characterisation of multifunctional structural power composites. Journal of Composite Materials 49(15): 1823-1834. Copyright © 2014 The Author(s). Reprinted by permission of SAGE Publications.