Multifunctional reduced graphene oxide coating on laminated composites

Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastics (CFRPs) are commonly used for structural applications due to their high specific mechanical properties. CFRPs can also be functionalized exploiting a combination of several materials that introduce multifunctional features to the global performance of a structure and widen their range of operations. This work investigates the use of a Reduced Graphene Oxide (RGO) Film as multifunctional coating on CFRP laminates. Exploiting the inherent properties of these films, surface properties of composite structures such as electrical conductivity and wettability can be improved. Moreover, potential built-in functions, as live strain sensing and DC-biased thermography, are studied. Three point bending tests demonstrated a negligible influence of the RGO films on the flexural properties of the CFRP laminates and confirmed a satisfying adhesion between the coating and the structure. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.