Enhanced interfacial properties of carbon fiber composites via aryl diazonium reaction "on water"

Highlights: • Carbon fibers are grafted with phenyl amine group via aryl diazonium reaction. • Interfacial shear strength of the carbon fibers increases by 73%. • Tensile strength of the carbon fibers does not decrease distinctly. • Using water as the reaction medium can avoid pollution from organic solvents. • Grafting via aryl diazonium reaction in one step can improve modification efficiency. - Abstract: Polyacrylonitrile-based carbon fibers were functionalized with phenyl amine group via aryl diazonium reaction "on water" to improve their interfacial bonding with resin matrix. Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy were employed to characterize ordered degree, functional groups, chemical states and morphology of carbon fiber surface, respectively. The results showed that phenyl amine groups were grafted on the fiber surface successfully. Mechanical property test results indicated that the aryl diazonium reaction in this paper could improve the interfacial shear strength by 73%, while the tensile strength was down very slightly. Hence aryl diazonium reaction "on water" could be a facile green platform to functionalize carbon fibers for many interesting applications