Improving Mechanical Behavior of Adhesively Bonded Composite Joints by Incorporating Reduced Graphene Oxide Added Polyamide 6,6 Electrospun Nanofibers

Abstract

Adhesive joining of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites requires adequate interface tailoring and careful surface preparation to obtain a strong bond between components. This study aimed to improve the mechanical performance of adhesively bonded unidirectional carbon fiber-based (CFRP) composite parts by modifying joint surfaces with graphene-added electrospun Polyamide 6,6 (PA66) nanofibers. Reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was dispersed at 10 % wt/v PA66 solution at three different concentrations below rGO saturation limits. Bead-free nanofibers with homogenous graphene distribution were obtained on a prepreg by electrospinning. Addition of up to 2 % rGO yielded complete dispersion through the nanofiber network while the higher values created local agglomerations. Surface wetting experiments showed conversion of slightly hydrophobic surfaces to complete hydrophilic with electrospun nanofiber coating and the lowest contact angle was obtained at 2 % wt/v rGO addition (26.18 degrees +/- 2.03 degrees). Composite plates were produced in a hot press keeping the modified prepregs on top. Plates with different surface treatments joined by secondary bonding using 3 plies of FM 300 K film adhesive. Mechanical properties of adhesively bonded composites were tested by Single lap joint and Charpy impact tests. We achieved an 18 % increase in shear strength and 31 % increase in impact strength by adding 2 % wt/v ratio rGO into PA66 electrospun nanofiber.