TITLE:
Electrical Shorting between the Carbon-Fiber Cloth Electrodes of Structural Capacitors with a Glass-Fiber Cloth Separator
AUTHORS:
Akira Todoroki, Hiroko Shiomi, Yoshihiro Mizutani, Yoshiro Suzuki
KEYWORDS:
Polymer Composites, Multifunctional Composites, Electrical Properties, Structural Capacitor
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Composite Materials,
Vol.4 No.3,
July
7,
2014
ABSTRACT: Multifunctional composites that
have the ability to store or generate energy have attracted huge attention
recently. One type of multifunctional composite is a structural capacitor that
uses carbon fiber cloth as electrodes separated by glass-fiber cloth. However,
such structural capacitors are difficult to fabricate reliably because electrical
shorts sometimes form between the electrodes. In the present study, we
investigate the mechanism of electrical shorting in such capacitors, which
allows us to propose an improved fabrication process to prevent electrical
shorting between the carbon-cloth electrodes. Infrared thermography reveals
that electrical shorting between the electrodes is caused by contact between
the carbon-fiber electrodes. Such contacts are formed by movement of the glass
fibers of the separator during curing, which is induced by epoxy resin flow.
Pre-curing of the glass-fiber cloth separator to a suitable degree ensures that
the electrical insulation between carbon-fiber electrodes is reliable.