In-series sample methodology for permeability characterization demonstrated on carbon nanotube-grafted alumina textiles
Jeroen Staal (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne)
Baris Caglar (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering)
Travis Hank (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
Brian L. Wardle (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
Larissa Gorbatikh (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven)
Stepan V. Lomov (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven)
Véronique Michaud (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne)
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Abstract
In-plane permeability of small area (100 × 50 mm) alumina fiber woven fabrics grafted with aligned carbon nanotubes (CNT) was quantified by placing them in series with a glass mat of known permeability during a flow experiment. The methodology was first validated on a reference woven textile. Permeability values matched those obtained by a direct method within a margin of ±15%. Permeabilities of radial-aligned (short CNT, SCNT) and so-called ‘Mohawk’ (long CNT, LCNT) morphologies of the CNT-grafted samples were then measured and compared to the non-grafted alumina, showing a decrease attributed to a change in local textile structure as assessed in previous studies. Unsaturated permeability decreased by 77% after SCNT- and 88% after LCNT-grafting, while saturated permeability further decreased by 90% and 93%, respectively. The high ratio of unsaturated to saturated permeability (in the range of 1.14 – 2.89) implies that capillary wicking contributes largely to the impregnation of CNT-grafted fabrics.
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