Toughening phenolic composite laminates by interleaving hybrid pyrolytic carbon/polyvinyl butyral nanomat

This paper is granted with a novel method for improving the toughness of phenolic composite laminates. This method employs electrospun hybrid nanofibers containing polyvinyl butyral (PVB) and pyrolytic carbon (PyC), which are interleaved between mid-layers of the laminate. Mode-II fracture test is used for studying the toughening behavior of modified laminates. The results suggest shortage of pure PVB nanofibers in causing a substantial increase in the fracture toughness of laminates (about 7% increase). However, incorporation of PyC particles to PVB nanofibers can enhance the fracture toughness up to about 24%. Scanning electron microscope images reveal the toughening mechanism provided by each type of nanofibrous mat. Thermal gravimetric analysis was also applied for studying the role of PyC particles in the thermal stability of PVB nanofibers.