Effect of doping of multi-walled carbon nanotubes on phenolic based carbon fiber reinforced nanocomposites

We report on the effect of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on different properties of phenolic resin. A low content of MWCNTs (~ 0.05 wt%) was mixed in phenolic resin and a stable dispersion was achieved by ultrasonication, followed by melt mixing. After curing the characterization of these composites was done by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR). The thermal and ablative properties of carbon fiber reinforced MWCNTs-phenolic nanocomposites were also studied. The addition of MWCNTs showed improvement in thermal stability and ablation properties.