Processing of a new class of multifunctional hybrid for electromagnetic absorption based on a foam filled honeycomb

A multifunctional hybrid material class in the form of a sandwich panel has been developed towards the combined optimization of mechanical and electromagnetic absorption performance. The faces of the panel are made of glass fibre reinforced epoxy composites and the core is made of carbon nanotube reinforced polymer foam filling a metallic honeycomb. The different processing strategies and options tested to fabricate the core material are described as well as the associated scientific and technological issues. The most efficient processing route is by foaming the nanocomposite with a chemical foaming agent directly inside the honeycomb. This route offers a good surface finish and the operation can be achieved in one step. But, in order to produce large panels with a semi-continuous process, thermo-mechanical insertion of the foamed nanocomposite with supercritical CO2 can be more suitable. The characterization of the electromagnetic absorption of the panels produced by different routes shows that the performance is not much sensitive to processing defects making possible upscaling to mass production.