Silica aerogel infused hierarchical glass fiber polymer composites

Hierarchical systems can address the matrix-dominated failures of structural fiber polymer composites. Here, a new synergistic hierarchical structure combines conventional structural glass fibers with a bi-continuous silicabased aerogel matrix; both pure-silica and organically-modified silicate aerogels are demonstrated. When infused with an epoxy matrix, this type of hierarchical architecture showed a marked improvement in mechanical properties: without any loss in modulus, both the compressive strength and the interlaminar shear strength increased by up to 27%, relative to the equivalent glass-fiber reinforced epoxy composite baseline. The bicontinuous network modification strategy uses industrially-relevant infusion techniques, at or near room temperature, and retains a similar final composite density (within 2%). The strategy presented here provides a versatile and readily applicable means to improve state-of-the art continuous fiber reinforced composite systems in compression and offers an opportunity to develop a new generation of composite materials.

Automated summary

Hierarchical systems combining structural glass fibers with a bi-continuous silicabased aerogel matrix demonstrate significant improvements in mechanical properties, with up to 27% increases in compressive strength and interlaminar shear strength without any loss in modulus. The bicontinuous network modification strategy uses industrially-relevant infusion techniques and retains a similar final composite density (within 2%). This strategy offers a versatile and readily applicable means to enhance continuous fiber reinforced composite systems in compression and provides an opportunity for the development of new composite materials.