Smart and nanomaterials for performance enhancement of space structures

Aerospace structures are often made out of (Carbon) fiber reinforced polymers. In order to enhance their physical properties especially on thermal and electrical conductivity, the polymer matrix materials are to be enriched with different types of fillers such as CNTs or Carbon black. Results from different related investigations show benefits on the one side but also some problem areas which are to be observed. Shape memory polymers (SMP) are applied to the structures to compensate possible shape deviations due to curing stresses, where fillers are to be used to reduce if not avoid creep effects in these SMP.