Effect of carbon fiber surface treatment with HNO3 and KOH on the interfacial bonding of PMMA resin composite

This work studied the surface, interface state and physicochemical properties of HNO3-treated and KOH-treated carbon fiber. Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) composites were prepared by the autoclave molding process using surface-treated carbon fiber as reinforcements. The physical and chemical states of the carbon fiber surfaces and the micro-interface properties and interlaminar shear properties of the composites were studied. The results show that the surface of the HNO3-treated carbon fiber has more groove structure and higher surface roughness and thus forms a better physical bond with the resin matrix. Although the oxygen-containing functional groups of the two carbon fibers are equivalent, the surface oxygen of the HNO3-treated carbon fiber is relatively high, which is beneficial to form a better chemical bond with the matrix resin, and the interfacial shear strength is about 14% higher than that of the KOH-treated carbon fiber composite.