Multiscale micro-nanocomposite laminates based on carbon nanotubes and carbon fibres

There is now a pressing need to integrate multicomponent nanoscale entities into multifunctional systems and to connect these nanosystems to the micro/macro world. The connection from the nanoworld to the outside world, in general, has been one of the long-standing problems in nanotechnology and still remains a big challenge. The discovery of novel form of carbon, forced many composite researchers to work on carbon nanotubes due to their outstanding reinforcing features. Carbon nanotubes could also further enhance the mechanical properties of composite materials traditionally reinforced with carbon fibres [1-3]. Moreover, the combination of a microscale with a nanoscale reinforcement could enhance the interfacial bonding between polymer and carbon fibre. The current research aims to exploit the modification induced by the addition of carbon nanotubes in epoxy and epoxy/ carbon fibre composite.