A comparative study of the cryogenic performance of CFRP composites with polyethersulfone/epoxy blends and electrospun polyethersulfone interleaves

Thermoslastic-modifers are used to enhance the fracture toughness of epoxy resins for cryogenic applications. This study presents a comparative analysis of the cryogenic performance of laminated fibre-reinforced composites, focusing on two different toughening approaches: interleaving electrospun polyethersulfone (PES) veils or epoxy/PES blends with varying PES loadings. In casted epoxy/PES blends, the particulate phase structure was formed with a PES content of 2.5–10 phr, transitioning to a co-continuous structure beyond 10 phr. Electrospun PES interleaves effectively enhanced interlaminar fracture toughness at both 293 and 77 K by 76 % and 48 %, respectively. These improvement levels achieved were comparable to those of laminates toughened with 7.5 phr PES/epoxy blend. The results presented suggest that interleaving composite laminates offers great potential in enhancing the durability of cryogenic tanks while being seamlessly integrated into manufacturing processes.