Interfacial Strength in Hierarchical Carbon Fiber Composites: Interplay of Interphase Modulus and Roughness

Kanbargi, Nihal; Gupta, Sumit; Rohewal, Sargun Singh; Kearney, Logan T.; Naskar, Amit K.

doi:10.1002/admi.202500135

Interfacial Strength in Hierarchical Carbon Fiber Composites: Interplay of Interphase Modulus and Roughness

Journal Article · Mon Jun 23 00:00:00 EDT 2025 · Advanced Materials Interfaces

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/admi.202500135· OSTI ID:2573348

^[1]; Gupta, Sumit ^[1]; Rohewal, Sargun Singh ^[1]; ^[1]; ^[1]

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

A facile, direct deposition approach that exploits van der Waals interactions between carbonaceous materials is utilized to create unidirectional hybrid carbon fiber composites. Two small molecule crosslinkers, a trifunctional aromatic (TL) and a difunctional aliphatic (DL) acyl chloride, are first utilized to create a crosslinked interphase with a softer and stiffer modulus respectively. TL crosslinked interphase with a higher modulus improved the tensile strength by 50%, despite non-covalent linking between fiber and matrix, elucidating the critical role of the interphase in alleviating modulus mismatch between the high modulus carbon fiber and the rubbery matrix. Fractional quantities of carbon nanotubes are additionally dispersed in the small molecule crosslinkers which behaved as a dispersant, helping introduce nanoasperities on the carbon fiber surface. Strong “pi-pi” interactions between CNTs and CF contributed to tensile properties, which are increased by 66% compared to the control. A cohesive zone model suggests that a stiffer interphase is better able to exploit surface heterogeneities and roughness on the fiber, synergistically enhancing interfacial strength.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Materials Sciences & Engineering Division (MSE)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC05-00OR22725

OSTI ID:: 2573348

Journal Information:: Advanced Materials Interfaces, Journal Name: Advanced Materials Interfaces Journal Issue: 13 Vol. 12; ISSN 2196-7350

Publisher:: Wiley-VCHCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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