Effect of cold plasma treatment on mechanical properties of PET/PMMA composites

Mechanical strength of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibres and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) matrix composites were studied with particular interest on the effects of oxygen and argon plasma treated fibres. PET fibres were treated in a radio frequency plasma reactor using argon or oxygen for different treatment times to increase the interface adhesion. Fibre volume fraction was measured through digital image analysis. Elastic moduli resulted between 3 GPa for untreated to 6 GPa for treated composites. Tensile tests on PET fibres showed that plasma treatment caused a decrease in average tensile strength compared to untreated fibres. Fracture analysis confirmed the increase in interfacial adhesion due to plasma treatment.