Anodic Oxidation of Carbon Fiber Surfaces: Influence of Static and Dynamic Process Conditions

Abstract

We investigate the effects of static and dynamic anodic oxidation treatment on the surface chemical composition and functionality of carbon fibers. During static treatment, the electrolytic surface oxidation process is performed on a spatially fixed carbon fiber bundle, while in the dynamic process a moving, continuous carbon fiber tow is oxidized. In both treatment modes electrolytic current density and treatment time were varied. Surface chemical composition and functionality of the resulting carbon fibers were analyzed by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. A good agreement between the chemical composition and the functionality of fibers from static and dynamic anodic oxidation treatment is found. This suggests that results from static fiber treatment in a variable, easy to handle laboratory setup can be applied to dynamic anodic oxidation process conditions on a large scale.