Carbon nanotube fiber (CNTF), prepared by the direct-spinning method, has several nanopores, and the infiltration behavior of resins into these nanopores could influence the mechanical properties of CNTF-based composites. In this work, we investigated the infiltration behavior of resin into the nanopores of the CNTFs and mechanical properties of the CNTF-based single-fiber composites using six epoxy resins with varying viscosities. Epoxy resins can be easily infiltrated into the nanopores of the CNTF; however, pores appear when a resin with significantly high or low viscosity is used in the preparation process of the composites. All the composite fibers exhibit lower load-at-break value compared to as-densified CNTF, which is an unexpected phenomenon. It is speculated that the bundle structure of the CNTF can undergo changes due to the high affinity between the epoxy and CNTF. As composite fibers containing pores exhibit an even lower load-at-break value, the removal of pores by the defoaming process is essential to enhance the mechanical properties of the composite fibers.
Keywords: CNT fiber; composite; epoxy; infiltration; mechanical properties.