Effects of different "rigid-flexible" structures of carbon fibers surface on the interfacial microstructure and mechanical properties of carbon fiber/epoxy resin composites.

In order to comprehend the influence of different "rigid-flexible" structures on the interface strength of carbon fiber(CF)/epoxy composites, CNTs was firstly chemically grafted on CFs surface, and then polyamide (PA) was grafted onto CF-CNTs surface through varying anionic polymerization time of caprolactam [CF-CNTs-PA (n = 6 h, 12 h, 24 h)]. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectroscopy indicated the successful establishment of CNTs and PA. TGA demonstrated the different grafting amounts of CF-CNTs-PA (n = 6 h, 12 h and 24 h).