Hassaan Ahmad Butt, a Research Scientist at the Laboratory of Nanomaterials, presented the laboratory’s work on multifunctional carbon nanocomposites and carbon nanotube fibers at the International Conference on Composite Structures in Italy and TexComp-15 in Belgium. Skoltech was the only Russian institute represented at ICCS 27, and one of the only two at TexComp-15.

“Our smart and multifunctional carbon nanocomposites attracted quite a bit of attention at ICCS 27, which is supported by the journal Composite Structures (Elsevier). We were able to showcase how the nanomaterials synthesized in our laboratory can be integrated into large composite structures to simultaneously enhance multiple properties. Their addition to traditional composites, with the techniques that we have developed, allow electrical and thermal conductivity, smart response, corrosion and flame retardancy and a host of other properties to be developed where they were not present before. As industrial requirements move towards lighter, stronger materials, our laboratory aims to try and take it further by designing material solutions which can tackle multiple technical requirements. We’re looking to replace traditional sensor systems with self-sensing nanocomposites.

TexComp, supported by KU Leuven, allowed us to highlight our locally produced carbon nanotube fibers, and how we can integrate them with composites for facile multi-stage lifecycle sensing. These fibers can identify areas of defects in materials, right from their manufacturing, all the way to their eventual failure. Not only do they allow a more streamlined manufacturing process, but can potentially allow real-time condition feedback loops. Combined with their ability to stay embedded without any effects, they can help us understand what conditions a material is withstanding in real-time. The new technique that we presented is currently patent pending, and we hope to scale up and see their practical application in the near future,” commented Hassaan Ahmad Butt.