Moisture dependent tensile and creep behaviour of multi-wall carbon nanotube and carbon fibre reinforced, injection moulded polyamide 6 matrix multi-scale composites

In this study the creep behaviour and its dependence on moisture content in injection moulded hybrid composites reinforced with carbon fibres and carbon nanotubes was investigated. The tensile tests and the scanning electron microscope images confirmed that the presence of carbon fibres helped the uniform distribution of carbon nanotubes in the matrix. In the composites reinforced only with carbon fibres, the creep rate was lower than in any of the composites reinforced with only carbon nanotubes. Synergistic effects were observed when carbon nanotubes were added to the composite besides the carbon fibres: the creep rate was even lower and decreased with the increase in nanotube content. In the composites only reinforced with carbon nanotubes, crystallinity decreased, and moisture absorption increased with increasing nanotube content, but in the hybrid composites, the decrease in crystallinity and moisture absorption was much lower, thus the disadvantageous effect of moisture on the creep rate was much smaller in the hybrid composites.