In situ growth of polysiloxane nanowires on basalt fibers and interfacial enhancement with epoxy resin

Abstract

In this work, the interface interaction between basalt fiber (BF) and epoxy resin (EP) is improved using the in-situ growth of polysiloxane nanowires (SiNWs) on the BF surface. First, the pristine BFs were treated by piranha solution to obtain numerous active hydroxyl groups. Subsequently, the hydrolysis of ethyl trichlorosilane (ETCS) under varying humidity facilitated the formation of self-assembled silanols, resulting in the stable one-dimensional nanostructure on the BF through chemical vapor deposition (CVD) for different durations. The results show the significance of both the humidity level during ETCS hydrolysis and deposition time in achieving the in-situ growth of SiNWs on BF. Furthermore, the effects of surface modification on BF strength and BF-EP interface adhesion were investigated. At a relative humidity of 62% and a deposition time of 4 h, the tensile force of BF monofilament and interfacial shear strength (IFSS) between BF and EP were enhanced by 19.0% and 18.5% respectively.