Architected Carbon Nanotube Macrostructure–Interleaved UHMWPE Composites for Impact and Ballistic Protection

ABSTRACT

Insufficient adhesion between the fiber and matrix leading to fiber slippage within ultra‐high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) composites often undermines their impact performance. The effectiveness of pristine and amine‐modified carbon nanotube (CNT) films in improving mechanical properties of UHMWPE composites under various loading conditions is examined in this study. The results show improvements in tensile strength (over 15%), puncture resistance (over 45%), and dynamic impact energy absorption (over 70%) in UHMWPE composites, led by amine‐functionalized CNT buckypaper (BPA) and floating catalyst chemical vapor deposition (FC‐CVD) derived CNT sheets (SHA). This improved performance is attributed to increased interlaminar bonding facilitated by the amine groups on the CNT surface. Weight analysis revealed that SHA interleaved composites achieved a superior 67.6% increase in dynamic impact energy absorption compared to 6.6% for BPA composites, indicating substantial performance gains with minimal weight increase. Further 8% reduction in back face signature (BFS) with SHA incorporation was confirmed by ballistic testing, highlighting the substantial potential of functionalized CNT sheets for enhancing the impact resistance of lightweight UHMWPE composites in ballistic applications.