NON-OXIDATIVE CARBOXYL FUNCTIONALIZATION OF CARBON FIBERS WITH MELDRUM'S ACID

摘要

The surface of carbon fibers was functionalized by a reaction of existing surface defects withisopropylidene malonate. The reaction uses existing defects rather than generating new ones tograft terminal malonic esters, effectively creating a carboxyl functionalized surface. Thereaction does not employ oxidation and is shown to preserve the tensile strength of the fiber.The reaction is validated by X-ray photoelectron and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopyand is shown to produce the expected malonic ester structure. The usable surface coverage ofcarboxylic acid groups is doubled to 8.4%. The effects of solvent, temperature, concentrationand reaction time are studied. This functionalization could improve composite interfaces withoutsacrificing fiber strength and opens up a new paradigm in the functionalization of carbonsurfaces.