Out-of-oven Curing of Polymeric Composites via Resistive Microheaters Comprised of Aligned Carbon Nanotube Networks

The promise of enhanced physical properties and multifunctionality has led many groups to study polymer matrix composites (PMCs) reinforced with nanoscale elements, such as nanofibers, nanowires, and nanotubes. However, the application of such material in next-generation aerospace architectures is currently limited by the geometrical constraints and high energy costs of traditional manufacturing techniques of PMCs such as autoclave and vacuum-bag-only oven curing techniques. Here, the in situ curing technique for PMCs using a resistive heating film comprised of an aligned CNT (A-CNT) network is presented. A carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) system is effectively cured via a single CNT network heater installed on the outer surface of the laminate without using autoclave. Evaluation of the curing efficacy shows that composites cured by A-CNT film heater can achieve degrees of cure that are equivalent or better than composites cured by an autoclave. Also, the spatial variation of the degree of cure is strongly dependent on the maximum temperature during thermal process as measured by a thermal camera. This manufacturing technique enables highly efficient curing of PMCs while adding multifunctionality on processed composites.