Electrical Conductivity of Metal–Polymer Cold Spray Composite Coatings onto Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymer
Abstract
Cold spray is a promising process to coat polymers and carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP). The
choice of the metal-polymer couple of materials, however, has a strong influence on coating build-up
and properties. In the present work, we show that spraying mixtures of copper and polymer particles
lead to composite coating. We observe that the polymer promotes coating build-up onto CFRP to the
expense of the electrical conductivity of the coating as a result of its insulating properties. The present
work investigates the influence of the coating microstructure on electrical conductivity. Various copper
powders, with different morphologies, particle sizes and oxygen contents were mixed with a PEEK
(Polyaryl-Ether-Ether-Ketone) powder. Cold spray of these powders resulted into composite coatings
and we study the microstructures and electrical properties of such coatings as a function of powder
characteristics and spraying parameters. A morphological model of the coating microstructure was
developed to reproduce numerically microstructures in 3D. The conductivity of the coatings was
measured experimentally for various copper powders. Careful selection of blends of copper and PEEK
powders coupled with optimized spraying parameters led to metal-polymer coatings onto CFRP with a
fairly high electrical conductivity.
Origin | Files produced by the author(s) |
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