Comparative study on shape memory, mechanical, and thermomechanical properties of multi-walled carbon nanotubes and graphene nanoplatelets modified bidirectional (twill) carbon fiber polymer composites

Abstract

The research conducts a comparative analysis of epoxy/bi-directional (twill) carbon fiber three-phase shape memory hybrid composites modified with MWCNT and GnP, examining their mechanical, thermomechanical, and shape memory properties. Fabrication involves preparing nanoparticle-modified epoxy nanocomposites through ultrasonication followed by hand layup technique. The findings revealed that the modified composites achieved their optimal performance at a 0.6 wt% concentration of nanoparticle, with the tensile strength and modulus increasing by 33.59% and 23.47% for 0.6 wt% MWCNT composite and by 45.94% and 25.61% for 0.6 wt% GnP composite. GnP-modified composites outperformed MWCNT ones due to GnP's sheet structure aligning parallel to the load and larger surface area facilitating enhanced interaction with the matrix. Despite polymer modification, the shape recovery ratio values remained high, with 98.92% for unmodified composite, 97.72% for 0.6 wt% MWCNT composites, and 97.12% for 0.6 wt% GnP modified composites, all exceeding 90%, indicating no compromise in performance.