Surface modification of aramid fibers with γ‐ray radiation for improving interfacial bonding strength with epoxy resin

Co⁶⁰ γ‐ray radiation as a simple and convenient method for surface modification of Armos aramid fibers was introduced in this article. Two kinds of gas mediums, N₂ and air, were chosen to modify aramid fiber surface by γ‐ray irradiation. After fiber surface treatment, the interlaminar shear strength values of aramid/epoxy composites were enhanced by about 17.7 and 15.8%, respectively. Surface elements of aramid fibers were determined by XPS, the analysis of which showed that the ratio of oxygen/carbon was increased. The crystalline state of aramid fibers was determined by X‐ray diffraction instrument. The surface topography of fibers was analyzed by atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscope. The degree of surface roughness and the wettability of fiber surface were both enhanced by γ‐ray radiation. The results indicated that γ‐ray irradiation technique, which is a suitable way of batch process for industrialization, can significantly improve the surface properties of aramid fibers reinforced epoxy resin matrix composites. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007     

Influence of moisture regain of aramid fibers on effects of atmospheric pressure plasma treatment on improving adhesion with epoxy

One difference between a low‐pressure plasma treatment and an atmospheric pressure plasma treatment is that in the atmosphere, the substrate material may contain significant quantities of moisture, which could potentially influence the effects of the plasma treatment. To investigate how the existence of moisture affects atmospheric pressure plasma treatment, aramid fibers (Twaron 1000) with three different moisture regains (0.5, 4.5, and 5.5%) were treated by an atmospheric pressure plasma jet for 3 s at a gas flow rate of 8 L/min, a treatment head temperature of 100°C, and a power of 10 W. The scanning electron microscopy analysis showed no observable surface morphology change for the plasma treated samples. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis showed the oxygen contents of the 0.5 and 4.5% moisture regain groups increased from that of the control, although the opposite was true for the 5.5% moisture regain group. The advancing contact angles of the treated fibers decreased about 8°–16° whereas their receding contact angles decreased about 17°–27°. The interfacial shear strengths of the treated fibers as measured using microbond pull‐out tests were more than doubled when the moisture regain was 4.5 or 5.5%, whereas it increased by 58% when the moisture regain was 0.5%. In addition, no significant difference in single fiber tensile strength was observed among the plasma treated samples and the control sample. Therefore, we concluded that moisture regain promoted the plasma treatment effect in the improvement of the adhesion property of aramid fibers to epoxy. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102: 242–247, 2006     

Study on the interfacial properties of two‐dimensionally arranged glass fiber/epoxy resin model composites

The effect of interfiber distance on the interfacial properties in two dimensional multi‐E‐glass fiber/epoxy resin composites has been investigated using fragmentation test. In addition, the effect of the fiber surface treatment on the interfacial properties has been studied. We found that the interfacial shear strength decreased with the decreasing interfiber distance at the range of <50 μm and the extent of the decreasing was more serious as the increasing of the number of adjacent fiber. This is probably that the interface between the fiber and the resin was damaged by the breaking of adjacent fibers and the damage increased with minimizing the interfiber spacing and the number of adjacent fibers. We can guess that interfacial shear strength in real composites is much smaller than that of multifiber fragmentation sample with touched fiber. When the interfiber distance was >50 μm, the interfacial shear strengths were saturated regardless of fiber surface treatment and were in close agreement with those of the single fiber fragmentation test. Finally, the interfacial shear strength evaluated using two dimensional fragmentation tests are shown as real values in‐site regardless of fiber surface treatment, interfiber distance, and existing matrix cracks. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 99: 1541–1551, 2006     

Surface modification of aramid fibers via ammonia‐plasma treatment

In this article, aramid fibers III were surface modified using an ammonia‐plasma treatment to improve the adhesive performance and surface wettability. The surface properties of fibers before and after plasma treatment were investigated by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and water contact angle measurements. The interfacial shear strength of each aramid fibers III‐reinforced epoxy composites was studied by micro‐debonding test. The ammonia‐plasma treatment caused the significant chemical changes of aramid fibers III, introducing nitrogen‐containing polar functional groups, such as ? C? N? and ? CONH? , and improving their surface roughness, which contributed to the improvement of adhesive performance and surface wettability. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40250.     

Elastic and plastic properties of epoxy resin syntactic foams filled with hollow glass microspheres and glass fibers

Representative volume elements of syntactic foams with a random filling of short glass fibers and hollow glass microspheres in epoxy resin were established by a random sequential adsorption method. The fiber volume fraction was set at 4%, and the microsphere volume fraction range was from 5 to 30%. This numerical simulation was studied with ANSYS software. The influence on the elastic and plastic mechanical properties of syntactic foams of the microsphere volume fraction and relative wall thickness were investigated, and the plastic strain evolution process in the composites was analyzed. The results show that the compressive yield limit and Young's modulus values of the syntactic foams decreased with increasing microsphere volume fraction when the microsphere relative wall thickness was 0.02, but these properties were enhanced with increasing microsphere volume fraction when the relative wall thickness exceeded 0.04. The specific strength and tangent modulus values of the composites increased with increasing microsphere volume fraction. In addition, we observed that the yield stress, Young's modulus, and tangent modulus values of the syntactic foams were obviously enhanced by the addition of glass fibers. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 44188.     

Surface functionalization of aramid fibers via constructing different zinc oxide nanostructures for improved UV resistance

Aramid fibers (AFs) with high strength and modulus have a vital application in harsh outdoor bulletproof protection and ship ropes; however, solar radiation, especially ultraviolet (UV) radiation, is one of the main factors for affecting their service life. Herein, different zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures were constructed on the surface of AFs by the growth of ZnO nanowires (AF-ZnO NW) and coating of waterborne polyurethane/ZnO nanoparticles composite emulsion (AF/ZnO), respectively. The surface functionalized AFs exhibited enhanced mechanical properties retention after UV radiation. Nevertheless, the tensile strength of AF-ZnO NW before UV aging was already lower than the tensile strength of original AFs due to the surface structure damage from chemical grafting modification. The tensile strength and elongation retention rates of AF/ZnO-5% reached 74.4% and 84.4% after UV exposure for 168 h, respectively, which were much higher than the value of 48.3% and 60.5% of the neat AFs. These results provide an effective and low-cost strategy for improving the UV-resistance of advanced high-performance fibers.     

The ultrasound‐based interfacial treatment of aramid fiber/epoxy composites

The quality of interfacial adhesion of aramid/epoxy composites affects the mechanical performance of the material, and thus there is a need to improve the condition by using the ultrasound‐based interfacial treatment. To do so, an ultrasonic transducer has been developed and evaluated under various operational conditions when it is installed in the winding system. It has demonstrated several key characteristics such as low power, high amplitude (more than 80 μm), and continuous working (more than 8 h) without water‐cooling. Subsequently, experiments were carried out to determine the mechanical performance of the polymer material with and without ultrasound treatment, showing that the ultrasonic treatment has improved the interfacial performance up to 10%, compared with those without any ultrasound‐treatment. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Surface modification of armos fibers with oxygen plasma treatment for improving interfacial adhesion with poly(phthalazinone ether sulfone ketone) resin

We introduce in this article oxygen plasma treatment as a convenient and effective method for the surface modification of Armos fibers. The effects of oxygen‐plasma‐treatment power on both the Armos fiber surface properties and Armos‐fiber‐reinforced poly(phthalazinone ether sulfone ketone) composite interfacial adhesion were investigated. The Armos fiber surface chemical composition, surface morphology and roughness, and surface wettability as a function of oxygen‐plasma‐treatment power were measured by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electronic microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and dynamic contact angle analysis. The results show that oxygen plasma treatment introduced a lot of reactive functional groups onto the fiber surface, changed the surface morphology, increased the surface roughness, and enhanced the surface wettability. Additionally, the effect of the oxygen‐plasma‐treatment power on the composite interfacial adhesion was measured by interlaminar shear strength with a short‐beam bending test. Oxygen plasma treatment was an effective method for improving the composite interfacial properties by both chemical bonding and physical effects. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

UV photo‐stabilization of tetrabutyl titanate for aramid fibers via sol–gel surface modification

Tetrabutyl titanate was used as sol–gel precursor of a nanosized TiO₂ coating to improve the photo‐stability of aramid fibers. The nanosized TiO₂ coating was characterized by XRD and XPS. The influence of the TiO₂ coating on photo‐stability of aramid fibers was investigated by an accelerated photo‐ageing method. The photo‐stability of aramid fiber showed obvious improvement after coating. After 156 h of UV exposure, the coated fibers showed less deterioration in mechanical properties with the retained tensile strength and elongation at break greater than 36 and 50% of the original values, respectively, whereas the uncoated fibers degraded completely and became powdery. SEM analysis showed no significant surface morphological change on the coated fiber after the exposure, while some latitudinal crack fractures appeared on the uncoated aramid fiber. The effect of the nanosized TiO₂ coating was also well demonstrated by examining the difference of distributions of C1s in XPS deconvolution analysis on the surface of uncoated/coated fibers with increasing UV exposure time. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 3113–3119, 2007     

Study on the interfacial properties of three‐dimensionally arranged glass fiber/epoxy resin model composites

The effect of interfiber distance on the interfacial properties in three‐dimensional multi‐E‐glass fiber/epoxy resin composites has been investigated using fragmentation test. In additions, the effect of the fiber surface treatment on the interfacial properties has been studied. The interfacial shear strength decreased with the decreasing the interfiber distance at the range of under 50 μm and the extent of the decreasing was more serious as the increasing of the number of adjacent fiber. This is probably due to the fact that the interface between the fiber and the resin was damaged by the adjacent fiber breaks and the damage increased with closing the interfiber spacing and the number of adjacent fiber. It was found that the interfacial shear strengths saturated when the interfiber distance was over 50 μm, the ones were saturated regardless of fiber surface treatment and the ones were in close agreement with those of the single fiber fragmentation test. Finally, the interfacial shear strength evaluated using three‐dimensional fragmentation tests are shown as real values in‐site regardless of fiber surface treatment, interfiber distance and existing of matrix cracks. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Electrospinning core‐shell nanofibers for interfacial toughening and self‐healing of carbon‐fiber/epoxy composites

This article reports a novel hybrid multiscale carbon‐fiber/epoxy composite reinforced with self‐healing core‐shell nanofibers at interfaces. The ultrathin self‐healing fibers were fabricated by means of coelectrospinning, in which liquid dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) as the healing agent was enwrapped into polyacrylonitrile (PAN) to form core‐shell DCPD/PAN nanofibers. These core‐shell nanofibers were incorporated at interfaces of neighboring carbon‐fiber fabrics prior to resin infusion and formed into ultrathin self‐healing interlayers after resin infusion and curing. The core‐shell DCPD/PAN fibers are expected to function to self‐repair the interfacial damages in composite laminates, e.g., delamination. Wet layup, followed by vacuum‐assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) technique, was used to process the proof‐of‐concept hybrid multiscale self‐healing composite. Three‐point bending test was utilized to evaluate the self‐healing effect of the core‐shell nanofibers on the flexural stiffness of the composite laminate after predamage failure. Experimental results indicate that the flexural stiffness of such novel self‐healing composite after predamage failure can be completely recovered by the self‐healing nanofiber interlayers. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) was utilized for fractographical analysis of the failed samples. SEM micrographs clearly evidenced the release of healing agent at laminate interfaces and the toughening and self‐healing mechanisms of the core‐shell nanofibers. This study expects a family of novel high‐strength, lightweight structural polymer composites with self‐healing function for potential use in aerospace and aeronautical structures, sports utilities, etc. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Barrier properties for short‐fiber‐reinforced epoxy foams

The barrier properties of short‐fiber‐reinforced epoxy foam are characterized and compared with unreinforced epoxy foam in terms of moisture absorption, flammability properties, and impact properties. Compression and shear properties are also included to place in perspective the mechanical behavior of these materials. Compared with conventional epoxy foam, foam reinforced with aramid fibers exhibits higher moisture absorption and lower diffusion, while glass‐fiber‐reinforced foam is significantly stiffer and stronger. In addition, the polymeric foam composites studied present superior fire‐resistance compared with conventional epoxy foam systems. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102: 3266–3272, 2006     

Mechanical and dielectric properties of short‐carbon‐fibers/epoxy‐modified‐organic‐silicone‐resin as heat resistant microwave absorbing coatings

Heat resistant microwave absorbing coatings were prepared by brushing and thereafter heat treatment, using epoxy modified organic silicone resin as binding material, short carbon fibers (C_sf) as absorbers, talcum powder and glass powder as filling materials. The mechanical and dielectric properties of the coatings before and after heat treatment at 600°C for 10 mins were studied. The results showed that the adhesive power after heat treatment enhances remarkably, both the real (ε′) and imaginary (ε″) parts of the permittivity of the coatings increase with increasing C_sf content in the frequency range of 8.2–12.4 GHz. The calculation value of the reflection loss as single layer absorber indicates that epoxy modified organic silicone resin coatings containing short carbon fibers could be a promising radar absorbing material applied at high temperature. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 1392‐1398, 2013     

Ultraviolet resistance modification of poly(p‐phenylene‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole) and poly(p‐phenylene terephthalamide) fibers with polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane

Octa‐ammonium chloride salt of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) was synthesized by a hydrolysis reaction and introduced into poly(p‐phenylene‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole) (p‐POD) and poly(p‐phenylene terephthalamide) (PPTA) fibers by a finishing method to enhance the UV resistance. The effects of the POSS concentration, treatment temperature, and time on the tensile strength of the fibers were investigated. The surface morphology, mechanical properties, crystallinity, degree of orientation of fibers, and intrinsic viscosity of the polymer solution were characterized in detail. The results indicate that the tensile strength retention and intrinsic viscosity retention of the fibers treated with POSS were much higher than those of the untreated fibers after the same accelerated irradiation time; this demonstrated that this treatment method was feasible. We also found that the efficacy of the protection provided by POSS was more beneficial to p‐POD than PPTA because of the different structure. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42643.     

Comparison of the structures and properties of Lyocell fibers from high hemicellulose pulp and high α‐cellulose pulp

Lyocell fibers were produced from a cheap pulp with a high hemicellulose content and from a conventional pulp with a high α‐cellulose content. The mechanical properties, supermolecular structure, fibrillation resistance, and dyeing properties as well as the fibril aggregation size of the high hemicellulose Lyocell fiber and high α‐cellulose Lyocell fiber were compared. The results showed that the high hemicellulose spinning solution could be processed at a higher concentration, which improved the mechanical properties and the efficiency of the fiber process. Compared with the high α‐cellulose Lyocell fiber, the high hemicellulose Lyocell fiber had better fibrillation resistance and dyeing properties. Therefore, it is feasible that this cheap pulp with a high hemicellulose content can be used as a raw material for producing Lyocell fibers. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Ultraviolet/heat dual‐curable film adhesives with pendant‐acryloyl‐functional‐group‐modified epoxy resin

To facilitate the fabrication of a reliable semiconductor package, the UV/heat dual curing of film adhesives was investigated. The curing system of the epoxy resin affected the film adhesive properties. As the UV/heat dual‐curable epoxy resin, a modified o‐cresol novolak epoxy resin, in which half of the glycidyl groups were substituted by acryloyl groups (OCN‐AE), was applied to the film adhesive. The formulated film adhesive contained acrylic copolymer, OCN‐AE, phenolic aralkyl resin as a heat‐curing agent of the glycidyl groups, and 1‐hydroxycyclohexyl phenyl ketone as a photoinitiator of the acryloyl groups. The formulated reference film adhesive contained unmodified o‐cresol novolak epoxy resin (OCN‐E) in place of OCN‐AE. Formulated film adhesives containing a mixture of OCN‐E and o‐cresol novolak epoxy acrylate were also used as references. The morphology and the film adhesive properties were investigated. In these investigations, the film adhesive of OCN‐AE showed better adhesive properties, lower modulus, and a better stress‐relaxation ability than the referenced adhesives. As a result, a reliable film adhesive for semiconductor packages was successfully developed. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Preparation of emulsion‐type thermotolerant sizing agent for carbon fiber and the interfacial properties of carbon fiber/epoxy resin composite

A modified resin was synthesized through the reaction between dodecylamine and tetraglycidyldiaminodiphenylmethane (TGDDM), which was used as the film former of sizing agent for carbon fiber (CF). The sizing agents were prepared through phase inversion emulsification method. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was utilized to analyze the modified resin. Particle sizes of the sizing agents were tested to evaluate their stabilities. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results demonstrated that the glass transition temperature (T_g) of the modified TGDDM is much higher than the T_g of the cured epoxy resin E‐44. The influences of the sizing treatment on CF were investigated by abrasion resistance, fluffs, and stiffness tests. The maximum abrasion resistance increased by 172.8%, compared with the abrasion resistance of the desized CF. Interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) results of the CF/TGDDM composites indicated that the interfacial adhesion between CF and matrix resin was greatly improved after CF was sized. The maximum ILSS value could obtain a 29.16% improvement, compared with the ILSS of the desized CF composite. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41882.     

Mechanical properties of (poly(L‐lactide‐co‐glycolide))‐based fibers coated with hydroxyapatite layer

This article presents the results of the experimental study on manufacturing and mechanical evaluation of poly(L ‐lactide‐co‐glycolide) (PLGA)‐based fibers modified with ceramic nanoparticles. Study was conducted to establish the effect of biomimetic formation of apatite layers on polymeric fibers on their mechanical properties. The tensile tests were performed to determine the influence of polymer crystallinity and the presence of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (nanoHAp) on mechanical properties of PLGA fibers coated with hydroxyapatite (HAp) layer. HAp deposits on the surfaces of the fibers precipitated from simulated body fluid (SBF). Three types of fibers coated with HAp layers were compared in mechanical tests. The results indicated that by using a biomimetic fiber coating method the mechanical properties of the fibers are affected by their crystallinity. The nanoHAp modified polymer fibers after incubation in SBF were found to have a continuous HAp layer. The layer affected the mechanical behavior (force–strain function) of the fibers from nonlinear to linear, typical of ceramic materials. The tensile modulus of the fibers with a continuous layer was found to increase with the apatite layer thickness, whereas the tensile strength decreases. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Tensile properties of denture base resin reinforced with various esthetic fibers

This study was conducted to determine the reinforcement effect of five types of esthetic fibers on the tensile properties of a conventional denture base resin. E‐glass, polyester, rayon, nylon 6, and nylon 6/6 fibers were cut into 2, 4, and 6 mm lengths and added into resin randomly at a concentration of 3% by weight. For each formulation, five tensile specimens, as well as control specimens without fibers, were prepared in a dumbbell shape using a stainless steel mold, constructed according to ASTM Standard D638M‐91a. Tensile properties were evaluated by using a universal testing machine. Surfaces of the tensile sections were also observed under the scanning electron microscope (SEM). Tensile strength of the specimens reinforced with fibers in varying lengths was found to be lower than that of the unreinforced control group. Among the trial groups, the specimens reinforced with 6 mm long polyester fibers showed the highest tensile strength. All the SEM fractographs indicated both weak adhesion and pull out of fibers from the matrix. None of the incorporated esthetic fibers appeared to improve tensile strength of the resin. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

Mechanical properties of jute fibers and interface strength with an epoxy resin

Four different forms of jute fibers, namely untreated jute filament (UJF), sliver jute filament (SJF), bleached jute filament (BJF), and mercerized jute filament (MJF), have been subjected to tensile strength analysis following Weibull's theory. The MJF and BJF were obtained by the chemical modification of the UJF. A minimum of 50 fibers of each type, at three different gauge lengths, i.e., 15, 30, and 50 mm, were used to study the strength distribution and the effect of gauge length. The mean fiber strength was found to be the maximum for UJF followed, in the order, by BJF, MJF, and SJF (∼ 700, ∼ 660, ∼ 580, and ∼ 540 MPa, respectively, at 50‐mm gauge length). The strength was also found to decrease with an increase in gauge length. In all cases, good agreement was found with Weibull's statistical model. Single fiber composite tests, with an epoxy resin as the matrix, were carried out determine the critical fragment lengths and interfacial strength, following the Kelly–Tyson approach. The BJF was found to have the maximum interfacial adhesion (τ ≈ 140 MPa) followed by UJF, SJF, and MJF having τ values of ∼ 83, ∼ 57, and ∼ 47 MPa, respectively. Scanning electron microscope pictures showed the fiber surface was physically modified by the various treatments. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 75: 1585–1596, 2000