Effect of Argon Plasma Treatment on Interface Performance of Aramid Fiber Ⅲ / Epoxy Composites

doi:10.11901/1005.3093.2024.310

Chinese Journal of Materials Research

2025, Vol. 39

Issue (3): 185-197 DOI: 10.11901/1005.3093.2024.310

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Effect of Argon Plasma Treatment on Interface Performance of Aramid Fiber Ⅲ / Epoxy Composites

WANG Jing(

), HE Wenzheng, YANG Shuang, GENG Wen, REN Rong, XIONG Xuhai

Liaoning Key Laboratory of Advanced Polymer Matrix Composites Manufacturing Technology, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenyang Aerospace University, Shenyang 110136, China

Cite this article:

WANG Jing, HE Wenzheng, YANG Shuang, GENG Wen, REN Rong, XIONG Xuhai. Effect of Argon Plasma Treatment on Interface Performance of Aramid Fiber Ⅲ / Epoxy Composites. Chinese Journal of Materials Research, 2025, 39(3): 185-197.

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Abstract

Domestically produced Aramid fiber III are extensively utilized in aerospace and other military industries on account of their advantages like high specific strength and high specific modulus. Nevertheless, the drawbacks of its smooth surface, scarcity of active groups, and poor bonding performance with the resin matrix restrict the outstanding performance of its composite materials. In view of the above shortcomings, the surface of AF III was modified via argon plasma, and then monofilament composites of epoxy resin with the untreated and argon plasma treated aramid fiber III was fabricated respectively. The influence of argon plasma treatment time on the surface composition, surface morphology, surface wetting properties, monofilament tensile strength of the fiber and the interfacial bonding strength of composite material were investigated respectively by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Optical Microscopy (OM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Dynamic Contact Angle Analyzer (DCAA), Monofilament Tensile Strength and Micro-droplet Debonding Test, as well as interface strength test. The structural dissociation energy of the plasma-treated fiber was calculated using Materials studio (MS) software. The results indicated that after plasma treatment for 5 min~30 min, new groups (―C―O―, O＝C―O, ―NH₂) were introduced on the fiber surface; while the fiber surface roughness increased from 134 nm untreated to 214 nm; and the fiber surface wettability property was enhanced from 46.14 mJ/m² for the bare fiber to 68.52 mJ/m² for the argon plasma treated one, representing an increase of 48.44%. The surface of plasma treated fibers showed uneven morphology and changed periodically with the extension of treatment time; the strength of fiber monofilament decreased gradually with the increasing plasma treatment time. Besides the results of the microdroplet debonding test demonstrated that, after plasma treatment for 10 min, the interfacial shear strength (IFSS) of AF III/epoxy was increased from 28.51 MPa for the untreated fiber to 38.02 MPa for the treated one, which was improved by 33.36%.

Key words: surface and interface in the materials interface performance argon plasma aramid fiber

Received: 17 July 2024

ZTFLH:

TB324

Fund: National Natural Science Foundation of China(51403129);Aeronautical Science Foundation(2024Z048054002)

Corresponding Authors: WANG Jing, Tel: 13840156479, E-mail:jingwang_1217@126.com

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	WANG Jing
	HE Wenzheng
	YANG Shuang
	GENG Wen
	REN Rong
	XIONG Xuhai

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https://www.cjmr.org/EN/10.11901/1005.3093.2024.310 OR https://www.cjmr.org/EN/Y2025/V39/I3/185

Fig.1 Chemical structure of AF-Ⅲ

Fig.2 AF-Ⅲ/Epoxy composite preparation and test

Liquid	$γ l$ / (mJ·m^-2)	$γ l p$ / (mJ·m^-2)	$γ l d$ / (mJ·m^-2)
Water	72.3	53.6	18.7
Diiodomethane	50	2.6	47.4

Table 1 Surface energy of water and diiodomethane

Fig.3 XPS survey scans of AF-Ⅲ treated for different time by argon plasma
(a) Scanning images (b) Content and proportion of elements

Fig.4 C1s spectra of AF-Ⅲ treated for different time by argon plasma
(a) 0 min (b) 5 min (c) 10 min (d) 15 min (e) 20 min (f) 25 min (g) 30 min (h) Changes in functional group content

Fig.5 N1s spectra of AF-Ⅲ treated for different time by argon plasma
(a) 0 min (b) 5 min (c) 10 min (d) 15 min (e) 20 min (f) 25 min (g) 30 min (h) Changes in functional group content

Fig.6 O1s spectra of AF-Ⅲ treated for different time by argon plasma
(a) 0 min (b) 5 min (c) 10 min (d) 15 min (e) 20 min (f) 25 min (g) 30 min (h) Changes in functional group content

Fig.7 AFM results of AF-III treated for different time by argon plasma
(a) 0 min (b) 5 min (c) 10 min (d) 15 min (e) 20 min (f) 25 min (g) 30 min (h) R_a (i) R_q

Fig.8 Tensile strength of AF-Ⅲ treated for different time by argon plasma
(a) Weibull (b) Average

Fig.9 Surface wettability of AF-Ⅲ treated for different time by argon plasma
(a) Dynamic contact angle (b) Surface energy

Fig.10 Microdroplet debonding
(a) Effect of microdroplet length (b) IFSS (c) Stress-strain curve (d) Failure stage

Fig.11 Microscope images of AF-Ⅲ/epoxy treated for different time by argon plasma (a1~g1) before microdroplet debonding (a2~g2) after microdroplet debonding

Fig.12 SEM images of AF-Ⅲ treated for different time by argon plasma (a1~g1) before microdroplet debonding (a2~g2) after microdroplet debonding

Fig.13 Positions in AF-Ⅲ where dissociation energy need to be calculated

Table 2 Dissociation energy of AF-Ⅲ

Fig.14 Possible reactions of AF-Ⅲ treated after argon plasma

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