US 12,215,206 B2
Low-defect fabrication of composite materials
Jeonyoon Lee, Cambridge, MA (US); Brian L. Wardle, Lexington, MA (US); and Diana Jean Lewis, Cambridge, MA (US)
Assigned to Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (US)
Filed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (US)
Filed on Aug. 11, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/448,894.
Application 18/448,894 is a continuation of application No. 17/375,190, filed on Jul. 14, 2021, granted, now 11,760,848.
Application 17/375,190 is a continuation of application No. 16/056,745, filed on Aug. 7, 2018, abandoned.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/559,189, filed on Sep. 15, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2024/0117128 A1, Apr. 11, 2024
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. C08J 5/00 (2006.01); C01B 32/15 (2017.01); C01B 32/16 (2017.01); C08J 5/24 (2006.01)
CPC C08J 5/005 (2013.01) [C01B 32/15 (2017.08); C01B 32/16 (2017.08); C08J 5/249 (2021.05); C01B 2202/08 (2013.01); C08J 2363/00 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of forming a composite article, comprising:
heating a first substrate and/or a second substrate out of an autoclave such that at least a portion of the first substrate and/or at least a portion of the second substrate softens and/or melts and a forest of elongated nanostructures between the first substrate and the second substrate becomes at least partially embedded within the first substrate and/or the second substrate via capillary action to form the composite article comprising the first substrate, the second substrate, and the forest of elongated nanostructures;
wherein:
the forest of elongated nanostructures has a height;
the forest of elongated nanostructures has a first dimension that is substantially perpendicular to the height of the forest, the first dimension being at least 100 times greater than the height of the forest;
the forest of elongated nanostructures has a second dimension that is substantially perpendicular to the height of the forest and substantially perpendicular to the first dimension, the second dimension being at least 100 times greater than the height of the forest; and
after the heating, the percentage of an interlaminar region of the composite article occupied by voids is less than or equal to 1%.