The reinforcing effect of oriented graphene on the interlaminar shear strength of carbon fabric/epoxy composites

In this study, nano Fe3O4 functionalized graphene oxide (Fe3O4@GO) was employed to enhance the interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) of carbon fabric/epoxy (CF/EP) composites. The composite was fabricated via a vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding process under a magnetic field. The microstructure and reinforcement mechanism of the CF/EP composite was further investigated. The results indicate that the Fe3O4@GO can increase the ILSS of the CF/EP composite by 12.9%, and it can further enhance it to 41% under the magnetic field orientation. Furthermore, it was observed that the oriented Fe3O4@GO can also improve the flexural strength and tensile strength of the CF/EP composite by 29.7% and 40.9%, respectively. The main reason is that the oriented GO arrangement is better ordered and thus can withstand more lateral loads inside the composite.