Improving the properties of Kevlar reinforced composites - Materials Today
Discovered by DuPont™ chemist Stephanie Kwolek in 1964, Kevlar® is one of the world’s most famous fibres. Found in everything from parachutes and skis, to tyres and bullet-proof vests, it combines low weight with high-strength, toughness and thermal stability. However, when used in high-performance structural composites, it can suffer from failure, due to poor adhesion between the fibres and the surrounding matrix. Modifying the surface of the fibre to improve adhesion usually requires multiple processing steps, but researchers from India’s CSIR-National Physical Laboratory claim that they’ve developed stronger Kevlar composites, simply by adding extra-long carbon nanotubes.
