Micro-configuration controlled interfacial adhesion by grafting graphene oxide onto carbon fibers

An effective way to enhance the interfacial properties of carbon fiber reinforced polymer composite (CFRPs) was proposed by preparing graphene oxide (GO)/carbon fiber (CF) hybrid fibers through electrophoretic deposition. The influence of different deposition parameters on the microstructure of GO/CF hybrid fibers were synthetically investigated in order to understand the micro-configuration and bonding mechanism. Note that GO deposition was highly effective in adjusting fiber surface physiochemical characteristics and constructing a strengthened interface. When utilizing a 20 V-15 min deposition technology under alkalescent condition (pH = 10), the introduction of GO on CF surface was feasible to toughen CFRPs, exhibiting substantial interfacial shear strength and interlaminar shear strength improvements of 14.8% and 37.3%, respectively. Meanwhile, three micro-configuration models were proposed to categorize the bonding mechanism of GO/CF hybrid fibers, namely, 'Grafting', 'Coating' and 'Plastering' deposition. Overall, the high mechanical performance achieved in this work are comparable or better than those of many previously reported researches.