| In this study, graphene oxide (GO) was infiltrated into the CNT fibers (i.e. voids infiltrated into the CNT fibers (i.e. voids infiltrated into the CNT fibers (i.e. voids within CNT bundles ∼ 50 nm in diameter) to interlock and improve the interfacial shear strength of the fibers. GO was was selected instead of polymers due to its higher mechanical properties, similar carbon-based structures as the CNT fibers, and high temperature stability. GO particles with a diameter of approximately 50 nm, which match closely to the void size within fibers, have been found to be optimal for enhancing the mechanical properties of fibers. Tensile testing demonstrated that the optimized GO infiltrated CNT fibers exhibit improvement in stiffness, yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, and energy to failure of pristine CNT fibers of ∼100%, ∼110%, ∼56%, and 30%, respectively. |
