Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing 2018-02-07

Improving interfacial properties of hierarchical reinforcement carbon fibers modified by graphene oxide with different bonding types

Liu Liu, Fei Yan, Ming Li, Mengjie Zhang, Linghan Xiao, Lei Shang, Yuhui Ao

Index: 10.1016/j.compositesa.2018.02.009

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Abstract

The deposition of graphene oxide (GO) onto carbon fibers (CF) surface to form a hierarchical reinforcement structure has been achieved via various bonding types: van der Waals forces, zwitterionic interactions and covalent bonds. The functional groups, surface elements, contents of introduced GO, surface structures, morphologies and wettability of GO-deposited CF were characterized by FT-IR, XPS, TGA, Raman, SEM and Dynamic contact angle meter, respectively. Covalently grafting GO onto CF (CF-c-GO) has been proved to be the most effective way to improve the interfacial properties. Compared with pristine CF, the flexural strength, interlaminar shear strength and interfacial shear strength of CF-c-GO composites were increased by 28.7%, 22.7% and 50.6%, respectively. The CF-GO hierarchical composites featured a stronger interfacial bonding as evidenced by the fracture surface analysis, which demonstrated the enhancement in interfacial properties of hierarchical thermoplastic composites.