G. Christensen, H. Hong, C. Bailey
Novum Nano,
United States
Keywords: conductive, electrical, carbon nanotube, nofiber, polymer, hydrogen bonding, coating, aircraft, lightning
Summary:
Electrically insulating aircraft materials and coatings increase the likelihood of dangerous charge buildup due to static electricity accumulation and are also not able to protect from lightning strikes. Aircraft performance is critical for the proper support and maintenance of aircraft. Our unique method allows us to create an optimal solution to further improve the conductivity and durability of aircraft coatings, resulting in a substantial increase in safety, performance, performance, corrosion resistance and longevity. The notable result is a coating that will prevent electrical charge from building up on the surface of an aircraft. This may also be applied to other Air Force equipment and vehicles. The introduction of well dispersed carbon nanomaterials such as nanotubes and nanofibers can dramatically decrease the electrical resistivity of the coatings. At only 4.5 wt% of MWNT-OH a very low resistivity of 6.8 Ω⋅cm was obtained in a cured polyurethane coating. Thermal conductivity can also be enhanced. A 10 wt. % addition of carbon nanofibers produced a thermal conductivity of 1.58 W/mk. Most notable is that the addition of hydrogen bonding through the addition of solvents or functionalized nanotubes provides the highest improvements.