Dual dynamic CAN and graphene oxide offer unique synergism in improving mechanical properties and introducing self-healing in carbon fiber composites

Abstract

This study demonstrates the use of a dual dynamic covalent adaptive network (CAN) based vitrimer sizing system as an effective interfacial modification to achieve improved mechanical performance and introduce self-healing in carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy (CFRE) composites. The dynamic crosslinker used here is 3,3-Dithiodipropionic acid, which, when combined with DGEBA-based epoxy prepolymer, installs a dual dynamic CAN in the system. Thermal transitions, degradation behavior, and viscoelastic performance were analyzed using DSC, TGA, and DMA techniques. The vitrimer-based sizing and graphene oxide (GO) incorporated in the matrix synergistically improve the mechanical performance with a noteworthy increase of 23 % and 18 % in ILSS and FS values, respectively. Following a self-healing treatment at 180 °C for 30 min, there was a remarkable 46 % recovery in ILSS value. Additionally, the GO-CFRE system demonstrated an EMI shielding effectiveness of −46 dB. This study also explored the electrothermal heating and de-icing performance of the modified CFRE system.