Effect of crystal morphology transition of polypropylene on interfacial properties of carbon fiber-reinforced composites through AlOOH surface treatment

Abstract Carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastics (CFRTPs) have many advantages, such as short processing cycle times, recyclability and design flexibility. However, CFRTPs have weak interfacial properties due to the non-polarity of carbon fibers. In this study, AlOOH surface treatment was applied on carbon fibers to improve the interfacial properties between the fiber and the matrix. The effect of the surface treatment on the crystal morphology of isotactic polypropylene (i-PP) at the interface was investigated by polarized optical microscopy (POM). The mechanical properties of fabricated CFRTPs were evaluated by measuring the interlaminar shear strength (ILSS). The ILSS of the AlOOH treated specimens after epoxy desizing increased by 106.8% compared with that of the untreated specimens.