Invited Paper AS-WeM11
Critical Issues Concerning the Use of Nanomaterials In Aerospace Platforms

Wednesday, October 17, 2007, 11:20 am, Room 610

Revolutionary aerospace vehicle designs are enabled by the use of lightweight structural composites. These composites must possess structural integrity and multifunctionality features, such as lightning strike protection, for the vehicle to fully realize the weight savings. NASA and the aerospace industry are aggressively pursuing the use of nanomaterials as both structural reinforcements and as an enabler of multifunctionality. Optimal utilization of nanomaterials in multifunctional aerospace platforms will demand an understanding of the fundamental principles that govern their behavior at the nanoscale. For example, NASA has established that a critical factor governing the electrical conductivity characteristics of a nanomaterial or nanocomposite is the degree of dispersion of the nanomodifier in the host matrix. However, before conductive nanomaterials can be considered for use in applications such as lightweight, flexible, surface mountable materials for lightning strike protection, a set of robust, field- ready quality assurance/control (QA/QC) standards must be developed. The research described in this presentation establishes a means of quantifying the dispersion of carbon nanotubes in high-performance, aerospace polymers. Work can now begin on developing the field ready QA/QC implementations of these techniques.