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Incorporation of silicon dioxide nanoparticles at the carbon fiber‐epoxy matrix interphase and its effect on composite mechanical properties
Author(s) -
Qin Wenzhen,
Vautard Frederic,
Askeland Per,
Yu Junrong,
Drzal Lawrence T.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
polymer composites
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.577
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1548-0569
pISSN - 0272-8397
DOI - 10.1002/pc.23715
Subject(s) - materials science , epoxy , composite material , flexural strength , composite number , flexural modulus , scanning electron microscope , shear strength (soil) , fiber , nanoparticle , coating , nanotechnology , environmental science , soil science , soil water
Functionalized silicon dioxide nanoparticles (nano‐fSiO 2 ) were uniformly deposited on the surface of carbon fibers (CFs) using a coating process which consisted of immersing the fibers directly in a suspension of nano‐fSiO 2 particles and epoxy monomers in 1‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone (NMP). The 0° flexural properties, 90° flexural properties, and Interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) mechanical properties of unidirectional epoxy composites made with nano‐fSiO 2 +epoxy sized carbon fibers, with control fibers, and with epoxy‐only sized fibers were measured and compared. An obvious increase of the fiber/matrix adherence strength was obtained with the nano‐fSiO 2 +epoxy coating. The nano‐fSiO 2 +epoxy sized CF/epoxy composites showed a relative increase of 15%, 50%, and 22% in comparison to control fibers, for the Interlaminar shear strength, the 90 ° flexural strength and the 90° flexural modulus, respectively, but little e difference was measured between the different systems for the 0° flexural properties. The observation of the fracture surfaces by scanning electron microscopy of composite fracture confirmed the improvement of the interfacially dependent mechanical properties. POLYM. COMPOS., 38:1474–1482, 2017. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers