Surface modification of carbon fibres using plasma technique

Abstract

Abstract For the development of a new generation non-crimp fabrics (NCF) made of carbon fibres, a feasibility study of different characterisation methods and surface treatments of the used carbon fibres needs to be performed. In order to join the carbon fibre layers with the binder for realising this new type of NCF, the surface topography and functionality of the fibres have to be analysed first. The wettability of the binder to the carbon fibre surface is of prime significance and needs to be enhanced. Here, the enhancement is carried out by improving the surface energy using atmospheric plasma of compressed air, argon and nitrogen. It is also proposed to improve the surface energy through chemical techniques.