Multifunctional Ni-plated carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic composite with excellent electrothermal and superhydrophobic properties using MWCNTs and SiO2/Ag microspheres

Abstract

This study proposes a novel multifunctional thermoplastic composite with excellent heating performance and superhydrophobic surface using nickel (Ni)-plated carbon fabric (NPCF), polyetheretherketone (PEEK) dispersed with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), and silicon dioxide/silver (SiO2/Ag) microspheres. Herein, CF is plated with Ni through electroless plating, while MWCNTs are dispersed in PEEK using ultrasonication to improve electrothermal and mechanical properties. Subsequently, SiO2/Ag microspheres with micro/nanoscale hierarchical structures are coated on the outermost surface of the fabricated composite. The improvement in the electrothermal properties of NPCF/PEEK by adding MWCNTs is confirmed by the increased heating performance of the structure. In particular, SiO2 coating provides both a superhydrophobic surface with a water contact angle of 151.1° and an excellent heating performance (138.9 °C as maximum surface temperature and 0.097 W/℃ as electrothermal conversion efficiency). This study provides an efficient thermoplastic composite structure for dealing with de-icing and/or anti-icing issues in multiple industries. © 2023 Elsevier Ltd