Influence of phenolic resin surface treatment agent on interfacial adhesion of carbon fiber reinforced epoxy resin composites

To enhance the interfacial adhesion between the carbon fibers and the epoxy resin matrix, the phenolic resin surface treatment agent is used. The influences of different concentrations of the phenolic resin treatment agent on the interfacial adhesion of the carbon fiber reinforced epoxy resin composites were investigated by interlaminar shear strength (ILSS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results of XPS and AFM analysis indicate that the interface of carbon fiber is grafted by the phenolic resin surface treatment agent. The surface of carbon fiber becomes more and more smooth if the concentration of the phenolic resin surface treatment agent increases. The results of SEM and ILSS indicate that with the increasing of the concentration of the phenolic resin agent the interfacial adhesion is improved greatly.