MIT Nano-Engineered Composite Aerospace STructures (NECST) Consortium

The NECST Consortium's technology focus is to improve the performance of advanced aerospace materials/structures through strategic use of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) combined with traditional advanced composites to form hybrid architectures. Two primary 3D nano-engineered architectures are being explored and developed, both polymer-matrix based. The fabrication strategy involves novel synthesis of high-quality, long (several millimeters), aligned CNTs placed strategically in existing advanced composite systems. Early results have demonstrated that high-quality CNT/traditional hybrid composite laminates can be architected and fabricated at rates and scales that can be used in full-scale aerospace structures; this made the formation of the NECST industry Consortium imperative.