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Title: Apparatus and method for carbon fiber surface treatment

Patent ·
OSTI ID:1067876

An apparatus and method for enhancing the surface energy and/or surface chemistry of carbon fibers involves exposing the fibers to direct or indirect contact with atmospheric pressure plasma generated using a background gas containing at least some oxygen or other reactive species. The fiber may be exposed directly to the plasma, provided that the plasma is nonfilamentary, or the fiber may be exposed indirectly through contact with gases exhausting from a plasma discharge maintained in a separate volume. In either case, the process is carried out at or near atmospheric pressure, thereby eliminating the need for vacuum equipment. The process may be further modified by moistening the fibers with selected oxygen-containing liquids before exposure to the plasma.

Research Organization:
UT-Battle, LLC (Oak Ridge, TN)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725
Assignee:
UT-Battle, LLC (Oak Ridge, TN)
Patent Number(s):
8,227,051
Application Number:
11/159,006
OSTI ID:
1067876
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (11)

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Surface Modification of Fabrics Using a One-Atmosphere Glow Discharge Plasma to Improve Fabric Wettability journal May 1997
Surface characterization of PVP-sized and oxygen plasma-treated carbon fibers journal January 1998
The transition from a filamentary dielectric barrier discharge to a diffuse barrier discharge in air at atmospheric pressure journal February 2005
Influence of Oxygen Plasma Treatment of PAN-Based Carbon Fibers on Their Electrokinetic and Wetting Properties journal February 1999
The mechanism of the stabilisation of glow plasma at atmospheric pressure journal August 1990
Adhesion characteristics of plasma-surface-treated carbon fiber-epoxy composite with respect to release films used during demolding journal January 2004
New Progress in Composite Interphases: A Use of Plasma Technologies book January 2000
The uniform treatment of carbon fiber surface in three-directional orthogonal fabric by oxygen-plasma journal January 2003
Oxygen plasma modification of pitch-based isotropic carbon fibres journal January 2003
Raman spectroscopy study of HM carbon fibres: effect of plasma treatment on the interfacial properties of single fibre/epoxy composites, Part I: Fibre characterisation journal May 2002