ISSN:
0021-8995
Keywords:
Chemistry
;
Polymer and Materials Science
Source:
Wiley InterScience Backfile Collection 1832-2000
Topics:
Chemistry and Pharmacology
,
Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Production Engineering, Mining and Metallurgy, Traffic Engineering, Precision Mechanics
,
Physics
Notes:
Adhesion between organic fibers and thermoplastics in a composite material is usually weak because of the lack of chemical and mechanical bonding. This study investigated the influence of plasma gas species in a novel technique to improve interfacial adhesion of Kevlar 49 fibers to polycarbonate. Single Kevlar fibers were exposed to radio-frequency plasma discharge in atmospheres of argon, oxygen, and ammonia. Plasma treatment has been shown to generate reactive free radicals on polymer surfaces. The fibers that were coated immediately with a polycarbonate melt while still in the vacuum environment of a plasma reactor showed an increase in interfacial shear strength that was maximum at 4.1 s exposure and decreased at longer exposure times. At 4.1 s exposure, Ar and O2 plasma treatment increased shear strength by 20 and 18%, respectively. NH3 plasma treatment produced only a statistically insignificant increase at 4.1 s of exposure and a significant decrease in adhesion at 8.3 s of exposure. Fibers that were exposed to air for 1 h before coating showed no statistically significant increase or decrease in adhesion. The increase in adhesion of the directly coated fibers was attributed to free radical-initiated formation of covalent bonds between the Kevlar and the polycarbonate. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Additional Material:
4 Ill.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/app.1993.070480509
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