Improvement of interfacial shear strength between syndiotactic polystyrene and carbon fiber by Self-localization of acid modified poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene ether) on the surface of carbon fiber

Abstract

To improve the interfacial shear strength between syndiotactic polystyrene (sPS) and carbon fiber (CF), sPS was blended with poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene ether) (PPE) and acid-modified PPE (mPPE), which are compatible with sPS and whose interfacial shear strength with CF is sufficiently greater than that of sPS. The interfacial shear strength between sPS and CF dramatically increased with the addition of mPPE, whereas the addition effect of PPE was not always observed. Notably, the addition of 10% mPPE improved the interfacial shear strength of sPS/CF by 270%. A micro-Raman spectroscopy study revealed the localization of mPPE in the vicinity of the CF surface. We demonstrate a novel concept of the self-localization of a minor, but high adhesiveness component in a polymer blend matrix to the CF surface to improve the interfacial shear strength between the major polymer matrix and CF.