Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes/carbon nanotube/carbon fiber multiscale composite: Influence of a novel hierarchical reinforcement on the interfacial properties

Highlights: • Formation a novel hierarchical reinforcing carbon fiber through co-grafting carbon nanotube and polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes. • These CNTs and POSS grafted on the carbon fiber, significantly increase the interfacial adhesion strength. • The investigation can prove an effective way to increase the interfacial adhesion and improve the mechanical performance of the fiber/resin composites on the desired application. - Abstract: A novel hierarchical reinforcing carbon fiber through co-grafting carbon nanotube (CNTs) and polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) was prepared in this paper. The structure and surface characteristics of the grafted carbon fiber were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), thermogravimetry (TG) and scanning electron microscope (SEM), respectively. The surface energy and the functional groups of the carbon fiber surface were increased obviously after modification. The ILSS results showed that there was a remarkable improvement in the interfacial properties of the new hybrid CF–CNTs–POSS composites. The investigation can prove an effective way to increase the interfacial adhesion and improve the mechanical performance of the fiber/resin composites on the desired application.