Simultaneous improvement of interfacial strength and toughness between carbon fiber and epoxy by introducing amino functionalized ZrO2 on fiber surface

Publication date: 5 July 2018
Source:Materials & Design, Volume 149
Author(s): Qing Wu, Ruyi Zhao, Qianli Liu, Tong Jiao, Jianfeng Zhu, Fen Wang
Amino-functionalized ZrO2 was prepared and incorporated on carbon fiber surface by a simple dip-coating approach to simultaneously strengthen and toughen the interphase of carbon fiber/epoxy composite. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and thermogravimetry confirmed the successful functionalization of ZrO2 by (3-Aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTES-ZrO2). Scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscope demonstrated that uniform coating with well dispersed particles on fiber surface was achieved at 1.0wt% addition of APTES-ZrO2 particles. Under this condition, the interfacial shear strength (IFSS) and fracture toughness (Gic) revealed respective 41.3% and 257.6% augments, compared with epoxy-only coated fiber composite. The enhanced IFSS is attributed to the improved chemical bonds between fiber and resin. While the increase in Gic can be ascribed to the intermittent distribution of strong/weak bonding zones and the mobility of APTES-ZrO2 particles in the interphase region. This work affords a simple, scalable and cost effective approach to simultaneously increase the interfacial strength and toughness of composites, which has always been sought after for structural materials.

Graphical abstract

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