MXene and graphene coated multifunctional fiber reinforced aerospace composites with sensing and EMI shielding abilities

•MXene and graphene coated glass fabrics were prepared for manufacturing multifunctional composites.•The coated fabrics were used as process monitoring sensors to monitor key resin infusion manufacturing parameters.•The mechanical response of the composites was monitored using flexural tests for both static and cyclic loading.•The DMA results showed opposite trends for MXene and Graphene sensors under temperature sweep experiments.•The EMI shielding effectiveness of MXene coated fabric composites was found superior than Graphene counterparts. This work is focused on using MXene and reduced graphene oxide coated glass fabrics for manufacturing multifunctional aerospace composites. The coated fabrics acted as sensors and provided useful information about key manufacturing parameters during processing, and mechanical response of the final composite. The electrical resistance changes during resin infusion manufacturing stages such as compaction, resin flow, and resin cure were monitored experimentally. In addition to process monitoring, the utility of manufactured laminates for structural performance was demonstrated by monitoring the piezoresistive response during quasi-static and cyclic flexural tests. The dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) experiments showed that these in-situ fabric sensors could also detect the thermomechanical response of the composite via monitoring the piezoresistive changes when the temperature is changing. Finally, the electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding effectiveness was also measured for both types of composites, where MXene based composites showed better shielding effectiveness as compared to reduced graphene oxide-based composites.