Cryogenic properties of cnt reinforced uhmwpe laminated composites

Energy transition towards cleaner fuels and renewable energy brings the attention to liquefied natural gas (LNG) and liquid hydrogen (LH₂) applications. Cryogenic storage temperatures make the suitable material selection for the construction of such applications difficult. Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) thermoplastics are selected for this research to investigate their shear behavior performances with nanoadditives. Composites made of UHMWPE and carbon nano tubes (CNTs) are subjected to shear loading at room and liquid nitrogen (LN₂) temperatures. Considering that UHMWPE films do not bond to other materials easily, significant attention is paid to selecting the correct manufacturing conditions to achieve good bonding between the CNT and the composite plies. Herein, paper formed of CNT, also known as CNT buckypaper (CNT BP), and melt mixed CNT/high density polyethylene (HDPE) are integrated to the structure. The results show that the interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) of UHMWPE composites improved 5% by interleaving the CNT BP with the lowest percentage which is 0.05 with respect to the reference and 8% by adding the melt mixed CNT/HDPE film at room temperature. Under the cryogenic condition, ILSS showed 3% increase with the CNT/HDPE film addition, but no improvement with the CNT BP addition.