Improvement of Impact Strength of CuO Nanostructured Carbon Fiber Reinforced Hybrid Polymer Composites

A two-step seed-assisted hydrothermal approach was used to grow CuO nanostructures (NSs) on the surface of woven carbon fiber (WCF) by treating in two controlled chemical precursors, namely seed solution and growth solution. The controlled growth of different shapes of CuO NSs was created by tuning concentrations of precursor solution at 120 °C for 12 h of growth period. Different morphologies were examined on scanning electron microscope, energy-dispersive spectroscopy analysis, and X-ray diffraction techniques. The results demonstrated that the duration of growth treatment and numbers of seeding treatments have a substantial impact on the formation of CuO NSs. On increasing the formation of CuO NSs, the height of X-ray diffraction peaks of CuO crystals enhances as well. Developed CuO-modified WCF samples were used to fabricate laminated hybrid composites using epoxy resin as matrix by vacuum bagging technique. The fabricated laminate was examined on Charpy impact testing setup which discovered that they had a significant increase in impact energy absorption capability. The formation of CuO NSs can reduce composite delamination because of the enhanced surface area generated between the matrix and the fiber, and variation in the convergence of CuO NSs will cause the modification in the impact energy absorption capacity.