▎ 摘　　要

Fiber-reinforced polymer compositesas a structural material havegarnered tremendous interest over the past few decades. In particular,carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy (CFRE) laminates have seen extensiveuse in the aircraft and aerospace industry. The role of the interfacebetween the matrix and fiber is critical and dictates the overallstructural properties of the CFRE laminate. Herein, we attempt touse a commercially viable, green, and facile approach, electrophoreticdeposition (EPD), to deposit covalently coupled multiscale grapheneoxide (GO)/carbon nanotube (CNT) nanoconstructs onto carbon fiber(CF) fabric. The rationale behind using these hybrid conjugates isto exploit the positive synergistic effect of combining two-dimensional(2D) GO and one-dimensional (1D) CNT nanoparticles, which providestrengthening through different mechanisms resulting in a strongermatrix/fiber interface. The modified laminate with just 0.1 wt % GO/CNTcontent exhibited an improvement in flexural strength (FS) by 24%and interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) by 30% compared to the neatCFRE. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) micrographs confirmed uniformand homogeneous GO and GO/CNT deposition on CF. Raman, Fourier-transforminfrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) analyses validate the successful functionalization of CNT andcovalent coupling of GO and CNT. Atomic force microscope (AFM) andcontact angle analyses indicate improved interaction between the CFand matrix. The deposition of the GO/CNT nanoconstruct on the CF improvedthe performance of CFREs owing to enhanced wettability, surface freeenergy, and surface roughness, leading to increased mechanical interlockingbetween the epoxy and CF at the interface. Dynamic mechanical analysisshowed decreased segmental motion of epoxy chains due to improvedinterfacial adhesion following modification. Interesting observationswere made in SEM fractography, which showed considerably differentfailure mechanisms in the modified CFREs. Electromagnetic interference(EMI) shielding effectiveness of -45 dB was achieved in thecase of the GO/CNT-CFRE system. Electrothermal heating and de-icingperformance of the modified system were also explored in this study.This versatile approach can open up new avenues for CFRE modificationleading to considerably improved performance.