TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibers as interfacial strengthener in continuous-fiber reinforced polymer composites

摘要

This paper presents a fast and practical route to improve the stress transfer of continuous fiber-reinforced polymer matrix composite laminates. This method concerns on-the-surface treatment of unsized carbon and glass fiber fabrics with 2,2,6,6-TetraMethyl-1-PiperidinylOxy (TEMPO) oxidized cellulose nanofibers before the laminate manufacturing step. The proposed method generated an increase in ultimate flexural strength of 62% and 54% for carbon and glass fiber-reinforced epoxy, respectively, and enhanced the out-of-plane properties of both hierarchical systems, as proved by short beam strength test, which showed an improvement of approximately 40% for both. The nanocellulose interphase was measured via transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) techniques, showing a thickness of approximately 20 nm for the hierarchical carbon fiber composite laminate.