The effects of composite fabrication, such as pre-curing, curing temperature, and cooling rate, were studied. In this work, the pre-curing was defined as heat treatment of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWNCTs) with Diglycidyl Ether of Bisphenol A (DGEBA) epoxy resin. Acid purified MWCNTs were characterized by Raman spectroscopy and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The pre-curing facilitated bonding between MWCNTs and epoxy via the oxirane ring of DGEBA, which accelerated the curing process of epoxy and increased mechanical properties. The elevated curing temperature on the pre-cured sample further improved the composite’s mechanical properties by increasing interfacial bonding due to cross-linking. The rapid cooling using liquid nitrogen during pre-curing treatment prevented re-agglomeration of MWCNTs, showing smaller agglomerates and improving the mechanical properties. Agglomeration was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, while the bonding between MWCNTs and epoxy was examined by the length of fibre pull-out on the fracture surface. Tensile testing was deployed for mechanical properties characterization. The degree of cure was determined by FTIR and Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA).

研究了复合材料制造的影响，例如预固化，固化温度和冷却速率。在这项工作中，预固化定义为用双酚A的二缩水甘油醚（DGEBA）环氧树脂对多壁碳纳米管（MWNCT）进行热处理。通过拉曼光谱和傅里叶变换红外光谱（FTIR）对酸纯化的MWCNT进行表征。预固化通过DGEBA的环氧乙烷环促进了MWCNT与环氧树脂之间的键合，从而加速了环氧树脂的固化过程并提高了机械性能。预固化样品上升高的固化温度通过增加由于交联引起的界面结合，进一步改善了复合材料的机械性能。在预固化处理过程中使用液氮进行的快速冷却可防止MWCNT再次凝聚，显示较小的团聚体并改善机械性能。通过扫描电子显微镜表征团聚，同时通过在断裂表面上拉出纤维的长度来检查MWCNT与环氧树脂之间的结合。进行拉伸测试以表征机械性能。固化程度由FTIR和差热分析（​​DTA）确定。