Nanofibers for damage resistant composite materials

Fiber reinforced polymer composites are the go-to materialfor designing applications thatrequire a high strength and stiffness at minimal weight such as aerospace structures, wind turbines or ultralight vehicles. However, delamination between the reinforcing plies remains a major occurring failure type.Interleaving electrospun nanofibres between the reinforcing plies has proven to be a viable interlaminar toughening method which significantly limitsthe occurrence of delamination failure in composites. This contributionsgives an overview into the relationship between the electrospun nanofibre properties and the resulting toughenedcomposites