Title: Surface Treatment of TuFF Pitch-Based Carbon Fiber for Adhesion Promotion in High TG Thermoplastic Composites

Authors: J.M. Deitzel, M. Kubota, J.W. Gillespie Jr., Z.R. Hinton, L. Thursch, N. Alvarez, G. Palmese, J.J. Fallon, M. Bortner, R. Zhang, R.M. Joseph, T. Schumaker, J. Riffle, S. Lukubira, S Kanhere, M.C. Tang, and A. Ogale

DOI: 10.33599/nasampe/s.19.1613

Abstract: Commercially available Pitch and PAN based carbon fibers undergo surface treatment to clean the surface of undesirable scale and to provide chemical functionality to promote resin wetting and adhesion in composites. Typically, these surface treatments are carried out in a continuous process that does not lend itself to the treatment of discontinuous fibers, like the mesophase pitch-based fibers being developed for the Tailorable Universal Feedstock for Forming (TuFF) alignment process. To address this challenge, we have developed a multiple-step batch process that oxidizes the fiber surface through ozone treatment at elevated temperature, followed by vapor deposition and/or solution coating to apply a coating package. Using this process, a series of coating formulations have been evaluated for thermal stability, coating uniformity, thickness and chemical composition on mesophase pitch-based carbon fiber. Single Fiber Fragmentation (SFF) testing of model polyether imide (PEI)/carbon fiber composites shows that the interfacial shear strength (IFSS) of as-spun carbon fibers can be increased from ~10 MPa to ~40 MPa with the right choice of coating chemistry. A discussion of the processing steps, and evaluation of the different fiber surface treatments with SFF, Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX), and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) measurements, as well as the potential for process scale up will be presented.

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Conference: SAMPE 2019 - Charlotte, NC

Publication Date: 2019/05/20

SKU: TP19--1613

Pages: 15

Price: FREE