Study on structure and performance of surface‐metallized carbon fibers reinforced rigid polyurethane composites

The simultaneous promotion in mechanical and electrical properties of rigid polyurethane (RPU) is an important task for expanding potential application. In this work, carbon fibers (CFs) reinforced RPU composites were prepared with the goal of improving mechanical and electrical properties. Metallized CFs meet our performance requirements and can be easily achieved via electrodeposition. However, the weak bonding strength in fiber‐metal‐RPU interface restricts their application. Inspired by the reducibility and wonderful adhesion of dopamine (DA), we proposed a new and efficient electrochemical method to fabricate metallized CFs, where DA polymerization was simultaneously integrated coupled with the reduction of metal ions (Ni²⁺). The characterization results helped us to gain insight about the reaction mechanism, which was never reported as far as we know. Compared with pure RPU, the tensile, interlaminar shear and impact strength of polydopamine (PDA)‐nickel (Ni) modified CFs/RPU composites were improved by 11.2%, 21.0%, and 78.0%, respectively, which attributed to the strong interfacial adhesion, including mechanical interlocking and chemical crosslinking between treated CFs and RPU. In addition, the PDA‐Ni surface treatment method also affected the dispersion of short CFs in the RPU, which increased the possibility of conductor contact and reduced insulator between fibers networks, resulting in higher electrical conductivity.     

Strength and toughness of carbon fibers reinforced rigid polyurethane composites by adsorbing tannic acid and refining Ni grains on carbon fibers surface

In this article, short carbon fibers (CFs) reinforced rigid polyurethane (RPU) composites were prepared with the aim of improving both strength and toughness. A tannic acid (TA)‐nickel (Ni) composite coating was spontaneously co‐deposited onto CFs surface by a one‐step electrodeposition method to strengthen the interface bonding of the composites. The satisfactory mechanical properties of the composites were mainly attributed to the superior interfacial adhesion. On the one hand, TA could play a role in refining Ni grain during electrodeposition. On the other hand, the hydroxyl groups attached to composite coating, which were introduced by TA, could react with the RPU matrix to form chemical bonds. When the composites were under stress, the chemical bonds could effectively transfer the stress from matrix to the interface, while the refined Ni crystals could greatly increase the stress transfer path, and thus improve the strength and toughness of the material. Compared with pure RPU, the tensile strength, bending strength,interlaminar shear strength, and impact strength of TA‐Ni‐coated CFs/RPU composites were improved by 14.8%, 83.1%, 28.7%, and 121.4%, respectively.     

Effect of carbon fiber surface treatments on the flexural strength and tribological properties of short carbon fiber/polyimide composites

Pitch‐based short carbon fibers (CFs) were treated by air oxidation and cryogenic nitrogen, respectively. Thereafter the treated and untreated CFs were incorporated into polyimide (PI) matrix to form composites. The CFs before and after treatment were examined by XPS and SEM.The flexural strength of the specimen was determined in a three‐point test machine and the tribological properties of PI composites sliding against GCr15 steel rings were evaluated on an M‐2000 model ring‐on‐block test rig. The results show that the surface of the treated CFs became rougher. Lots of active groups formed on the CF surface after air oxidation.The treatment can effectively improve the mechanical and tribological properties in their PI composites due to the enhanced fiber‐matrix interfacial bonding. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Improving the interfacial property of carbon fiber/PI resin composite by grafting modification of carbon fiber surface

The poor interfacial adhesion between carbon fibers (CFs) and polyimide (PI) resin has seriously hampered the application of CF/PI composites. In this work, the interfacial adhesion was efficiently enhanced by grafting on the CF surface. Surface morphology and surface composition of modified carbon fibers were characterized, which indicated that acrylamide was grafted successfully on the CF surface and the surface roughness was increased slightly. After grafting, the interface shear strength of modified carbon fibers/PI composites was significantly improved by 86.96%, and the interlaminar shear strength was enhanced by 55.61% due to the covalent bonds in interphase and the toughening effect of sizing agent. Moreover, the mechanical properties of composites with different interfacial adhesion were measured, which further confirmed the effect of the grafting modification.     

Effect of fiber length and composition on mechanical properties of carbon fiber‐reinforced polybenzoxazine

The mechanical strength and modulus of chopped carbon fiber (CF)‐reinforced polybenzoxazine composites were investigated by changing the length of CFs. Tensile, compressive, and flexural properties were investigated. The void content was found to be higher for the short fiber composites. With increase in fiber length, tensile strength increased and optimized at around 17 mm fiber length whereas compressive strength exhibited a continuous diminution. The flexural strength too increased with fiber length and optimized at around 17 mm fiber length. The increase in strength of composites with fiber length is attributed to the enhancement in effective contact area of fibers with the matrix. The experimental results showed that there was about 350% increase in flexural strength and 470% increase in tensile strength of the composites with respect to the neat polybenzoxazine, while, compressive properties were adversely affected. The composites exhibited an optimum increase of about 800% in flexural modulus and 200% in tensile modulus. Enhancing the fiber length, leads to fiber entanglement in the composites, resulted in increased plastic deformation at higher strain. Multiple branch matrix shear, debonded fibers and voids were the failures visualized in the microscopic analyses. Defibrillation has been exhibited by all composites irrespective of fiber length. Fiber debonding and breaking were associated with short fibers whereas clustering and defibrillation were the major failure modes in long fiber composites. Increasing fiber loading improved the tensile and flexural properties until 50–60 wt% of fiber whereas the compressive property consistently decreased on fiber loading. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of carbon fiber surface functionality on the moisture absorption behavior of carbon fiber/epoxy resin composites

Polyacrylonitrile (PAN)‐based carbon fibers were electrochemically oxidized in aqueous ammonium bicarbonate with increasing current density. The electrochemical treatment led to significant changes of surface physical properties and chemical structures. The oxidized fibers showed much cleaner surfaces and increased levels of oxygen functionalities. However, it was found that there was no correlation between surface roughness and the fiber/resin bond strength, i.e. mechanical interlocking did not play a major role in fiber/resin adhesion. Increases in surface chemical functionality resulted in improved fiber/resin bonding and increased interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) of carbon fiber reinforced epoxy composites. The relationship between fiber surface functionality and the hydrothermal aging behavior of carbon fiber/epoxy composites was investigated. The existence of free volume resulted from poor wetting of carbon fibers by the epoxy matrix and the interfacial chemical structure were the governing factors in the moisture absorption process of carbon fiber/epoxy composites. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modification effects of short carbon fibers on mechanical properties and fretting wear behavior of UHMWPE composites

The present work comparatively studied the modification effects of short carbon fiber (CF) on the mechanical properties and fretting wear behavior of ultra‐high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE)/CF composites. The interactions between CFs and UHMWPE interface were also investigated in detail. The results showed that, with the increase in fiber content, the compressive modulus and hardness of the composites increased, while its impact strength decreased. It was found that filling of CF can reduce the friction and wear of UHMWPE. In addition, the UHMWPE‐based composites reinforced with nitric acid‐treated CF exhibited better mechanical properties, lower friction coefficient, and higher wear resistance than those of untreated UHMWPE/CF composites. This was attributed to the improvement of interfacial adhesion and compatibility between CF and UHMWPE matrix caused by surface chemical modification of CF. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of surface synergy for the dispersion of short carbon fibers sized by adipic acid modified epoxy resin potassium

The carbon fiber (CF) surface plays a critical role in the performance of CF composite materials. Adipic acid modified epoxy resin potassium (AAEK) prepared with epoxy resin and adipic acid, and KOH was employed as the CF sizing agent. Then, series of surface properties of AAEK‐treated carbon fiber (CF‐AAEK) including surface charge, morphology, and groups were characterized by using Faraday cup, friction coefficient gauge, atomic force microscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and thermogravimetry. The results indicated that the dispersion coefficient of CF‐AAEK was increased by 1.72 times and there were synergistic effects for the dispersion of short CFs during the sizing treatment process with AAEK. In addition, the flexural strength of treated short CF composite proved to increase by 168%, which evaluated that the better CF dispersion in the matrix was a critical factor for the mechanical property improvement of short CF‐AAEK/epoxy resin composites.     

Chemical modification of carbon fiber with diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid/halloysite nanotube as a multifunctional interfacial reinforcement for silicone resin composites

In the present research, a multifunctional hierarchical reinforcement was prepared by chemical modification of carbon fibers (CFs) with halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) by the bridging diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) for improving interfacial microstructures and properties of composites. Surface structures and groups of modified HNTs and CFs were characterized systematically. The uniform distributions of the introduced DTPA and HNTs helped to increase fiber polarity, surface energy, and wettability. As a consequence, significant enhancements of interfacial properties and hydrothermal aging resistance of composites were achieved, and interfacial reinforcing mechanisms have also been studied. Moreover, the storage modulus showed a 17.95% improvement, and the glass transition temperature was enhanced by 17°C by dynamic mechanical analysis testing.     

Improvement of interfacial adhesion in PP/PS blends enhanced with supersonic atmosphere plasma spraying surface‐treated carbon fiber

The effects of surface treatment of a carbon fiber (CF) by supersonic atmosphere plasma spraying (SAPS) on the interfacial adhesion behavior and morphology of polypropylene/polystyrene (PP/PS) matrix blends filled CF composites were investigated. Effects of surface treated a commercial CF on mechanical properties are studied. Contact angle was measured to examine the changes in wettability of the CF. The chemical and morphological changes were characterized by using X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. PP/PS/CF composites were fabricated with and without SAPS treatment, and their interlaminar fracture toughnesses were compared. The results showed that the interlaminar shear strength of composites has been greatly improved filled SAPS modification CF. The water contact angle of resin sample decreased 50% after addition of SAPS surface‐treated CF. Scanning electron microscopy results on the fractured surface exhibited PP/PS blends adhered well around the CFs of the SAPS‐treated specimen compared with that of the untreated specimen. This attributed to the CF interlock, and it improves the wetting between fibers and resins. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modification of the surface of carbon fibers with multi-walled carbon nanotubes and its effect on mechanical characteristics of composites with epoxy resin

Effect of the catalyst composition on the structure of nanotubes layers obtained on the surface of carbon nanofibers was studied. We found the preliminary functionalization of the surface of carbon fibers to affect the coating uniformity and the thickness of synthesized nanotube layer. We determined the optimal surface concentration of the catalyst (Fe–Co) which provides uniform layer of nanotubes on the surface of carbon fibers. The effect of modification of the surface of carbon fibers with multi-walled carbon nanotubes on the mechanical properties of carbon fiber–epoxy resin composites was examined. The modification of the carbon fibers with multi-walled carbon nanotubes were shown to increase the flexural modulus and the flexural strength.     

液态丙烯腈低聚物修复聚丙烯腈基碳纤维微孔缺陷

提出一种全新的缺陷修复的方法,即将聚丙烯腈基(PAN)碳纤维T300在液态丙烯腈低聚物(LAN)中浸渍后,再进行预氧化和碳化热处理,可以将T300的拉伸强度提高25%.应用二维小角X射线散射(SAXS)法可以计算出LAN修复缺陷前后T300微孔缺陷的长度(L)、横截面尺寸(lp)、取向角(Beq)、相对体积(Vrel)的变化,结果表明碳纤维的拉伸性能越好,微孔的长度、取向角、相对体积含量越小.T300拉伸性能的提高是由于缺陷修复的结果.应用BET比表面积法、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)表征LAN修复缺陷前后T300的比表面积以及表面形貌的变化,结果表明,T300在LAN中浸渍并经过预氧化和碳化热处理,比表面积变小,表面缺陷明显减少.进一步验证LAN对碳纤维中的微孔缺陷具有修复作用.应用X射线光电子能谱(XPS)法表征LAN修复前后T300表面化学成分的变化,结果表明,LAN修复后含氧官能团(C―OH,C=O,HO―C=O)显著增加,有利于增强碳纤维与树脂基体之间的相互作用,从而提高碳纤维的力学性能.     

The interlaminar shear strength and tribological properties of PA 6 composites filled with graphene oxide‐treated carbon fiber

The objective of this work is to improve the interlaminar shear strength and tribological properties of the PA 6 composites by graphene oxide‐treated carbon fiber (CF) and ultraviolet irradiation of PA 6. The morphologies of untreated and treated CFs were characterized by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Surface analysis showed that after treatment, the surface of CFs chemisorbed oxygen‐containing groups; active carbon atom, the surface roughness, and wetting ability were increased. The results show that the treated CF composites can possess excellent interfacial properties and tribological properties accordingly after treatment. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mechanical properties of plasma‐treated carbon fiber reinforced PTFE composites with CNT

This paper is concerned with the effects of the plasma surface treatment and the addition of CNT on the mechanical properties of carbon fiber/polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) composite. The tensile and flexural strength of composites containing CNT and plasma‐treated carbon fibers improved. The flexural strength first decreases with respect to the CF content. The flexural strength increases to 179 MPa for the plasma‐treated composite as compared with 167 MPa for the neat carbon fiber composites. The overall improvement is thus nearly 8%.     

Surface modification of carbon fiber for improving the interfacial adhesion between carbon fiber and polymer matrix

In this study, the reinforcing mechanism of amine functionalized on carbon fibers (CFs) has been precisely discussed, and the differences between aliphatic and aromatic compounds have been illustrated. Polyacrylonitrile‐based CFs were functionalized with ethylenediamine, 4,4‐diaminodiphenyl sulphone, and p‐aminobenzoic acid (PAB), and CF‐reinforced epoxy composites were prepared. The structural and surface characteristics of the functionalized CFs were investigated using X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Mechanical properties in terms of tensile and flexural strengths and moduli were studied. The FT‐IR results confirm the success in bonding amines on the CF surface. After treatment of CFs, the oxygen and nitrogen contents as well as the N/C ratio showed an increase. XPS results provided evidence of the chemical reaction during functionalization, rather than being physically coated on the CF surface. Chemical modification of CF with diamines led to considerable enhancement in compatibility of CF filaments and epoxy resin, and remarkable improvements were seen in both tensile and flexural properties of the reinforced composites. SEM micrographs also confirmed the improvement of interface adhesion between the modified CFs and epoxy matrix. Finally, it can be concluded that PAB is a promising candidate to functionalize CF in order to improve interfacial properties of CF/epoxy composites. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Wettability of carbon fibers modified by acrylic acid and interface properties of carbon fiber/epoxy

The oxidation-reduction and pre-irradiation induced methods were employed to study the effect of acrylic acid modification on the wetting and adsorption ability of carbon fiber (CF) in epoxy solution and the interfacial properties of CF/epoxy. Systematic experimental work was conducted to determine the surface topography, surface energy, surface chemical composition, absorbability and tensile strength of carbon fibers and interfacial adhesion of CF/epoxy before and after modification. The roughness, surface energy, amount of containing-oxygen functional groups and wetting ability were all found to increase significantly after modifications. The tensile strength of carbon fibers was improved marginally by γ-ray pre-irradiation while was decreased little by oxidation-reduction modification. Consequently, the surface modifications of carbon fibers via both oxidation-reduction and pre-irradiation led to an improvement (more than 15%) of the interlaminar shear strength of CF/epoxy composites. The mechanisms of interfacial improvement of modified CF/epoxy composites are proposed.     

The mechanical properties of plasma‐treated carbon fiber reinforced PA6 composites with CNT

The aim of this work is the evaluation of the effects of plasma treatment and the addition of CNT on the mechanical properties of carbon fibre/PA6 composite. A powder impregnation process with integrated inline continuous plasma of carbon fibers was used to produce CF/PA6 composite. CF/PA6 composite was processed into test laminates by compression moulding, and interface dominated composite properties were studied. The tensile and impact strength of composites containing CNT and plasma‐treated carbon fibres improved obviously. The tensile strength of nanocomposite largely increases with the increasing of the CNT content and then decreases when the CNT content is over 2%. The hydroxyl groups of the fibers surface are in favor of the wettability of carbon fibers by the polar matrix resin, which is resulting in a further interaction of the fiber surface with the curing system of the matrix resin.     

Mechanical properties, crystallization and melting behaviors of carbon fiber-reinforced PA6 composites

Polyamide-6 (PA6)/carbon fiber (CF) composites were prepared by melt-extrusion via continuous fiber fed during extruding. The mechanical, thermal properties, and crystallization behavior of PA6/CF composites were investigated. It was found that the tensile modulus and strength of the composites were increased with the addition of CF, while their elongations at break were decreased. Scanning electron microscopy observation on the fracture surfaces showed the fine dispersion of CF and strong interfacial adhesion between fibers and matrix. Dynamic mechanical analysis results showed that the storage modulus of PA6/CF composites was improved with the addition of CF. Non-isothermal crystallization analysis showed that the CF plays a role as nucleating agent in PA6 matrix, and the α-form crystalline structure was favorable in the PA6/CF composites, as confirmed from the X-ray diffraction analysis. A trans-crystallization layer around CF could be observed by polarizing optical microscopy, which proved the nucleation effect of carbon fiber surface on the crystallization of PA6. The thermal stability of PA6/CF composites was also enhanced.     

Interfacial Improvement of Carbon Fiber/Epoxy Composites by Incorporating Superior and Versatile Multiscale Gradient Modulus Intermediate Layer with Rigid-flexible Hierarchical Structure

In order to enhance the interfacial adhesion of carbon fiber(CF) and polymer matrix, a multiscale gradient modulus intermediate layer with rigid-flexible(GO-PA) hierarchical structure was designed and fabricated between CFs and matrix by a facile and businesslike strategy. The polarity, roughness and wettability of CFs surface as well as the thickness of intermediate layer in composite have been significantly increased after rigid-flexible hierarchical structure was constructed. The IFSS, ILSS, compression and impact toughness manifested that the hierarchical structure could bring about a fantastic improvement(76.8%, 46.4%, 40.7% and 37.8%) for the interfacial and mechanical properties than other previous reports. Consequently, the establishment of CF surface with gradient modulus rigid-flexible hierarchical structure via regulation of nanoparticles and polymer array would open a new, viable and promising route to obtaining high-performance composites.     

Effect of the oxygen-induced modification of polyacrylonitrile fibers during thermal-oxidative stabilization on the radial microcrystalline structure of the resulting carbon fibers

The oxygen-induced modification of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers during the final stage of thermal-oxidative stabilization is used to control the degree of chemical reactions and the radial structural homogeneity of fibers. A radial structure model for oxidized PAN fibers (OFs) and carbon fibers (CFs) has been established by Raman spectroscopy and wide angle X-ray diffraction. According to the model, the cross-section of OFs is divided into the internal and external regions; the oxygen-induced modification has a greater effect on the structural evolution of internal regions than that of external regions. When the oxygen volume content for the modification is 22.2%, the OFs possess the highest level value for degree of disorder (DD) in internal regions. This is inherited by the corresponding CFs with the best radial structure homogeneity and optimum mechanical properties; meanwhile, the coefficient of variation for DD is defined to characterize the radial homogeneity of CFs. The mechanism of the oxygen-induced modification demonstrates that the mechanical properties of the resulting CFs depend on the degrees of the intermolecular cyclization and oxidation which are beneficial to the decrease in CF crystallite size.