Sesame-cookie topography silver nanoparticles modified carbon nanotube paper for enhancing lightning strike protection

Abstract Aircrafts are increasingly fabricated by carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites, because of the excellent specific stiffness and strength. However, lower electrical conductivity, leads to the drawback of the aircraft to lightning strike protection (LSP) changing from conductive metals to insulate composites. Herein, a sesame-cookie topography silver nanoparticle modified carbon nanotube paper (SMCNP) protective layer was developed to enhance LSP efficiency on the CFRP. The integrated material, SMCNP, could be molded directly on the surface layout of CFRP without any insulating adhesives. By contrast, carbon nanotube paper (CNP) and SMCNP were systematically studied on the influence of LSP and the possible protection mechanisms were discussed. Sesame-cookie silver nanoparticle not only enhances the electric conductivity, from 323 S/cm to 3600 S/cm in 14.14 wt%, but also provides a melted silver skeleton for extending current conduction along protection layer illustrated from the XPS and Raman analysis. SMCNP-CFRP maintains 92.1% residual mechanical property after simulated LS interaction which is much higher than that unprotected CFRP of 65.9%.