Improved strength, toughness and electrical properties of rigid polyurethane composites reinforced with Ni-coated carbon fibers

In this work, carbon fibers (CFs) were modified by electrodeposition Ni, and the mechanical properties as well as the electrical properties of Ni-coated carbon fibers (Ni-CFs) reinforced rigid polyurethane (RPU) composites were evaluated. It was found that the strength and toughness of RPU composites were both significantly improved. It was remarkable that the tensile and the impact strength of Ni-CFs/RPU composites were increased by 30.0% and 100.0%, respectively. The results of SEM and DMA analysis indicated the positive effects of Ni coating on the interfacial bonding between carbon fibers and RPU matrix. The electrical conductivity of the materials was increased from 1.01 × 10–15 S/m (pure RPU) to 1.53 × 10–9 S/m (Ni-CFs/RPU composites).