Improvement of interfacial strength and thermal stability of carbon fiber composites by directly grafting unique particles: functionalized mesoporous silicas

Abstract

A facile process was used to introduce vinyl functionalized mesoporous silicas onto a carbon fiber to improve the interfacial strength of composites. The characterization of successfully grafted vinyl groups on mesoporous silicas was determined by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The morphology of the vinyl functionalized mesoporous silicas uniformly distributed on the surface of carbon fiber was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), which indicated that the homogeneous dispersion of vinyl functionalized mesoporous silicas on a fiber may benefit the interfacial adhesion of matrix. Interfacial shear strength and thermal stability of the composites were improved by increasing the vinyl functionalized mesoporous silicas. This effect arose from the fact that functionalized mesoporous silicas serve as a “rivet joint” produced from chemical bonding and physical interlocking among the mesoporous silicas, carbon fiber and matrix. Notably, introduction of functional mesoporous silicas may be applied for fabricating high performance, multifunctional carbon fiber composites.