In this study, carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy composites (CFRPs) containing multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) and halloysite nanoclay were fabricated. The effects of these nanofillers (MWCNT and nanoclay) on the tensile and flexural properties of the CFRPs under different aging conditions were studied. These aging conditions included water soaking, acid soaking, alkali soaking, and thermal shock cycling. The experimental results showed that, after accelerated aging, the mechanical performance of the CFRPs decreased. The performance degradation in the soaking environment depends on the immersion temperature and immersion medium. High-temperature accelerated the aging behavior of the CFRPs, resulting in low strength and modulus. The CFRPs were more vulnerable to acid soaking and alkali soaking than water soaking. The MWCNT and halloysite nanoclay are beneficial to improve the immersion aging resistance of the CFRPs, and the additions of nanofillers delayed the performance degradation under immersion aging conditions. However, nanofillers hardly improve the aging resistance of the CFRPs under thermal shock cycling condition. The fracture morphologies were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to reflect the failure modes of the CFRPs under various aging conditions. Differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy tests were used to estimate the changes in the chemical structures and properties of epoxy resin and its composites under different conditions.
Keywords: aging; carbon fiber; carbon nanotubes; composites; mechanical properties; nanoclay.