Effects of silver nanowires and their surface modification on electromagnetic interference, transport and mechanical properties of an aerospace grade epoxy

The aerospace industry has progressively grown its use of composites. Electrically conductive nanocomposites are among important modern materials for this sector. We report on a bulk composite containing silver nanowires (AgNW) and an aerospace grade epoxy for use in carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRPs). AgNWs’ surfaces were also modified to enhance their ability to be dispersed in epoxy. Composites were obtained by use of three-roll milling which is of major interest for industrial applications, especially for the aerospace sector, since the process is scalable and works for aerospace grade resins with high curing temperatures. Our main objective is to improve the electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding performance of CFRPs via improving the properties of the resin material. The addition of AgNWs did not considerably alter the flexural strength of the epoxy, however the composite with surface-modified AgNWs has a 46 % higher flexural strength. Adding AgNWs over a low threshold concentration of 0.05 wt% significantly enhanced the electrical conductivity. Conductivities above the percolation threshold lie around 102 S/m. At a concentration of 5 wt% AgNW, the EMI shielding efficiency (SE) of epoxy increased from 3.49 to 12.31 dB. Moreover, the thermal stability of the epoxy was unaffected by AgNWs. As a result, it was discovered that (surface modified) AgNWs improved the (multifunctional) capabilities of the aerospace grade epoxy resin which might be used in CFRPs to further enhance properties of composites parts, demonstrating suitability of AgNWs’ as a reinforcement material in aerospace applications.