Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have developed an innovative method using electrospun carbon nanofibers to dramatically strengthen composite materials used in automotive, aerospace, and energy applications.
The technique, led by researcher Sumit Gupta, produces carbon nanofibers approximately 200nm in diameter that, when integrated into composite structures, deliver a 50% increase in tensile strength and a doubling of toughness.
The research team used the Frontier supercomputer to model the fiber-matrix interface at the nanoscale, enabling optimisation of the electrospinning parameters and fiber alignment.
A patent has been filed for the technique, which is seen as a scalable approach applicable to high-volume composite manufacturing for transportation and renewable energy sectors.
Source: www.ornl.gov
