Wardle and his colleagues have experimented with CNT films in recent years, mainly for deicing airplane wings. The team recognized that in addition to their negligible weight, carbon nanotubes heat efficiently when exposed to an electric current. In experiments, Wardle and his team integrated the film into airplane wings via conventional, oven-based curing methods, showing that when voltage was applied, the film generated heat, preventing ice from forming. The deicing tests inspired a question: If the CNT film could generate heat, why not use it to make the composite itself? The group tested the film’s ability to generate higher and higher temperatures, and found it topped out at over 1,000 F, which Wardle says means there’s no composite they can’t process with this method.
This research was funded in part by Airbus Group, Boeing, Embraer, Lockheed Martin, Saab AB, TohoTenax, ANSYS Inc., the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, and the U.S. Army Research Office.
See more of Composite Manufacturing’s coverage on out-of-oven and out-of-autoclave applications: No Autoclave, No Oven, No Problem!
