Rf Plasma Polymerisation for the Improvement of Interfacial Adhesion between Glass Fibres and Polybutene-1

Abstract

Radio frequency (RF) plasma polymerisation is used to treat glass fibres to improve the interfacial adhesion between polybutene-1 and glass fibre. After the glass fibres were treated with coupling agent, four different monomers were polymerised onto the surface by plasma. The plasma polymers changed the surface morphology and surface free energy of the fibre surfaces. The experimental results indicate that a grain-like surface induces a transcrystalline layer to form onto the fibre surface to improve the polybutene-1/glass fibre interfacial shear strength relative to glass fibres treated with coupling agent only. The glass fibre treated with coupling agent, then treated with acrylonitrile and styrene increased the interfacial adhesion strength by 71% and 78%respectively. Glass fibre surfaces treated with grain-like organosilicon, then plasma polymerised tetramethylsilane (ppTMS) and hexamethyldisiloxane (ppHMDSO), allow a transcrystalline layer to form and this increases the interfacial shear strength by 187% and 180% respectively, achieving 100% and 97% higher strength than when treated with coupling agent only.