Scalable Manufacturing of Nano–Micro Hybrid Composites for Large-Scale Aircraft Structures Using rGO-Embedded Carbon Fabrics

Abstract

Abstract Carbon fiber–reinforced plastics (CFRPs) are widely used in aerospace structures due to their high specific strength and lightweight characteristics. However, their laminated architecture and limited fiber–matrix interfacial interaction often restrict interlaminar performance, and the integration of additional functionalities remains an important challenge for advanced structural applications. This study presents a scalable surface modification strategy to fabricate nano–micro hybrid carbon fiber preforms through electrophoretic deposition (EPD) of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) onto carbon fabric surfaces. Large-area CFRP panels measuring <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="500 times 600 m m" display="inline" overflow="scroll"> <mml:mn>500</mml:mn> <mml:mo>×</mml:mo> <mml:mn>600</mml:mn> <mml:mtext> </mml:mtext> <mml:mi>mm</mml:mi> </mml:math> were manufactured using a bulk resin infusion process, and had uniform quality and were suitable for aerospace-scale structures. Statistical analysis confirmed that the average values of electrical conductivity and interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) increased and the corresponding standard deviation decreased, indicating uniform deposition of the rGO on carbon fabric. Compared with untreated carbon fabrics, the hybrid preform exhibited an approximately 16% reduction in surface electrical resistance. When incorporated into CFRP laminates, the rGO-modified preforms yielded an approximately 5% increase in ILSS with reduced variability, indicating enhanced and more consistent fiber–matrix interfacial bonding. Electrical conductivity of the CFRP was improved by 42.6% in the in-plane direction and 154.8% in the through-thickness direction. The practical feasibility of the proposed approach was demonstrated by fabricating an aircraft wing spar prototype. These results indicate that EPD-based rGO modification offers a practical pathway for manufacturing multifunctional CFRPs and prototype level aerospace structural components at an industrially relevant scale.