Fabrication of Polydopamine‐Modified Carbon Fabric/Polyimide Composites With Enhanced Mechanical and Tribological Properties

Abstract

To improve poor interfacial adhesion between the surfaces of carbon fabric (CF) and polyimide (PI), in this study, the surfaces of the carbon fibers were coated with bioinspired polydopamine (PDA) to fabricate PDA‐CF/PI composites with enhanced mechanical and tribological properties. The tensile strength and modulus of PDA‐CF/PI composites were obviously superior to those of the CF/PI composites, which indicated that the introduction of PDA brought about considerable improvement in interfacial compatibility of CF with the PI matrix. The effects of PDA‐CF on the improving friction and wear of the PI composites were demonstrated. Tribology tests showed the PDA‐CF/PI composites exhibited the lowest friction coefficient and wear rate compared to that of pure PI and CF/PI composites. The analysis of the worn surfaces after friction confirmed that the outstanding tribological performances of the PDA‐CF/PI composites could be attributed to the improvement of interfacial compatibility between of PDA‐CF with the PI matrix. POLYM. COMPOS., 40:1911–1918, 2019. © 2018 Society of Plastics Engineers