Optically Transparent Composite Materials Reinforced with Electrospun Nanofibers

摘要

@@IntroductionFiber reinforced plastic (FRP) composites with high visible light transmittance are of great interest in the manufacture of transparent or translucent structural panel for applications as bendable displays, airplane canopies/windows, and light transmitting electromagnetic wave shielding material. Factors such as fiber content, size, and refractive index (RI) of reinforcement fibers play significant roles in the light transmittance of composite materials. The custom reinforcement fiber for this particular FRPs is limited to optical transparent glass fiber. It has been reported that the application of nanofibers as reinforcement in the composite is highly effective in the preparation of optical transparent FRP; moreover, its light transmittance is insensitive to temperature variation, mainly because light has little reflections/refractions at the fiber/matrix interfaces.Thus this type of FRP is a very promising optically functional material.Up to now, electrospinning is reported to be the only available simple but versatile technique in producing sufficient amount of nanofibers for application.Although it has been found applications in various areas, electrospun nanofiber reinforced plastic with enhanced mechanical properties and good transparency has been rarely reported.