Multifunctional Adhesive Joints for Composites Using Aligned Carbon Nanotube Nanofoam Films

In this study, the effects of using aligned multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) nanofoam films as adhesive reinforcements to enhance the shear strength of composite joints are examined. The MWCNT reinforced adhesive nanofoam films are used to bond carbon/epoxy composite adherends. Mechanical characterization of the samples is performed using single lap joint samples to measure average shear strengths experimentally. Shear strength and other multifunctional properties of such nano-adhesives are discussed employing the results obtained in this work.