Growing carbon nanotubes on continuous carbon fibers to produce composites with improved interfacial properties: A step towards commercial production and application

A scalable manufacturing process has been developed to grow carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in situ on the surface of continuous carbon fibers (CFs) and achieve their uniform distribution. The successful growth of CNTs on the fiber surfaces was proved by studying the various stages in the continuous growth process. Electrochemical anodization achieved significant modification of CFs and promoted effective coating of catalyst precursors. The average...