Preparation of a carbon nanotube/carbon fiber hybrid and its wettability with epoxy

A carbon nanotube/carbon fiber (CNT/CF) hybrid was prepared via an aerosol-assisted chemical vapor deposition (AACVD) method using acetylene as carbon source and ferrocene as catalyst. The morphology and microstructure of the CNT/CF hybrid were characterized by SEM and TEM. It was found that CNTs were uniformly and densely grown onto CFs at 750-800℃ for 30min. Results obtained from single fiber tests showed that the tensile strength of the CNT/CF hybrid decreased by 13% after AACVD at 750-800℃ for 30min compared to that of CFs, however, the tensile degradation was less than 10% after AACVD at 750℃ for 5 to 40min. The wettability of the hybrid with epoxy resin was improved compared with that of the original CFs