A facile one-pot fabrication of polyphosphazene microsphere/carbon fiber hybrid reinforcement and its effect on the interfacial adhesion of epoxy composites

- Polyphosphazene microspheres/CF hybrid reinforcements were prepared via a novel and facile one-pot in situ polymerization.
- Plenty of poly(cyclotriphosphazene-co-4,4′-sulfonyldiphonel) microspheres were introduced onto the CF surfaces.
- The multi-scale hybrid CF reinforcement enhanced the interfacial adhesion of CF/epoxy composites obviously.
- The tensile strength of multi-scale hybrid CF also showed an obvious increase.

Introducing nanoscale reinforcements into the interface between carbon fiber (CF) and resin is an effective approach to improve the interfacial adhesion of CF composites. In this paper, a facile one-pot polymerization process provides a rapid and efficient method for preparing polyphosphazene microspheres/CF hybrid reinforcement using hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene (HCCP) and bis(4-hydroxyphenyl) sulfone (BPS) as monomers. By the in situ polymerization modification, HCCP and BPS were successfully cross-linked and deposited on the CF surface. Scanning electron microscope and atomic force microscopy images show that poly(cyclotriphosphazene-co-4,4′-sulfonyldiphonel) microspheres were introduced onto the CF surfaces and the surface roughness of fibers is enhanced obviously. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirm that the polymerization between HCCP and BPS has been successfully carried out. The surface modification can significantly increase the fiber roughness, polarity, wettability and surface energy, thus improving the interfacial shear strength of CF/epoxy composites. Meanwhile, the single fiber tensile strength of CF also shows an increase after modification.

Carbon fiber was successfully functionalized with a layer of coating and poly(cyclotriphosphazene-co-4,4′-sulfonyldiphonel) microspheres (PZSMS) by in situ polymerization. The enhancement of surface roughness can improve obviously the interfacial properties through providing more contact points and increasing mechanical interlocking between carbon fiber and epoxy matrix. Moreover, the cyclomatrix-type polyphosphazene coating and PZSMS distributed on the fibers surface can heal the surface defects to some extent and assist in holding back or absorbing excessive stress, resulting in the improvement of tensile strength.206