Modification of carbon fibers surfaces with polyetheramines: The role of interphase microstructure on adhesion properties of CF/epoxy composites

Abstract

Interface construct plays a vital role in developing superior mechanical performance of carbon fibers (CFs)/resin composites. Herein, a facile approach for incorporation of polyetheramine (PEA) onto CFs surface by covalent bond (CF‐g‐PEA) was proposed, and compared to the adsorption one via Van der Waals' force (CF‐c‐PEA). FTIR, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectra, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, dynamic contact angle analysis, single fiber tensile testing, and interfacial shear strength were carried out to characterize the CF reinforcements and composites. Experimental results showed that both of coating and grafting PEA on CFs increased the polarity, wettability, roughness of CF surface, and interfacial shear strength, especially CF‐g‐PEA, which indicated covalent bond interaction can combine more PEA on CF surface than that of Van der Waals. While single fiber tensile strength of CF‐c‐PEA increased due to the structure of CF without destruction. Meanwhile, the reinforcing mechanisms and interfacial failure modes of composites were also explored. The results suggest that the interphases between the CFs and resin matrix can be adjusted by varying the bonding natures between CF and grafted modifiers, thereby offering a new route for appropriate designing and development of CF‐based composite materials. POLYM. COMPOS., 39:E2346–E2355, 2018. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers

Grafting hyperbranched polymer with terminal hydroxyl groups onto carbon fiber surface in two‐step polycondensation for improving the interfacial properties of carbon fiber/epoxy resin composite

“…The amorphous structure on the CF surface could correspondingly increase the active atoms, providing more react sites for subsequent grafting, which was favorable for improving the interfacial adhesion of the CF composite. In addition, the integrated area ratio of the A band to the G band (IA/IG) was widely considered to be an assessment of amorphous carbon structures and some oxygen‐ and/or nitrogen‐containing functional groups and the relative degree of surface functionalization on CF .…”

“…Li et al [17] has enhanced the mechanical properties of epoxy resin by adjunction of an amino-terminated hyperbranched polymer grown on glass fiber. Ma and Wu et al [18][19][20] have improved the interfacial properties of carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy composites by grafting of branched polyethyleneimine, polyetheramine, and polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes on CF surface. However, there are few reports focusing on the treatment of fibers with hyperbranched polymer with terminal hydroxyl groups (HBPH).…”

Significant enhancement of thermal conductivity in graphite/polyester composite via interfacial π–π interaction

“…Thus graphite could correlate well with other materials containing conjugated structures by π–π interaction . Without special intermolecular interactions in a hybrid system, common surface modifications must improve compatibility by enhancing van der Waals interaction (vdW interaction) between the polymeric matrix and fillers . It is reported that the vdW interaction is considered as a weak interaction of around 0.4–4 kJ mol −1 while the π–π stacking interaction is approximately 10–100 times stronger than that of the vdW interaction .…”

Chemical grafting of salicylaldehyde onto carbon fiber for enhancing interfacial strength of silicone resin composites

“…Carbon fibers (CFs) have the advantages of light weight, high hardness, good corrosion resistance, high‐temperature resistance, and good electrical and thermal conductivity, which are extensively used in aerospace, aerospace, automobile, and many manufacturing industries . It is widely accepted that the quality of fiber‐matrix interface influences its performance deeply, controlling the stress transfer efficiency between CFs and matrix resin .…”