Improving the mechanical properties, UV and hydrothermal aging resistance of PIPD fiber using MXene (Ti3C2(OH)2) nanosheets

The pursuit of improving the performance of rigid-rod polymeric fibers using a new inorganic nano-materials and efficient methods is very attractive topic. The combination of the unusual properties of both materials could definitely produce an outstanding final product. Herein, we proposed a simple grafting method of a graphene-like titanium carbides Ti3C2 (OH) 2 nanosheets (MXene) onto PIPD surface via covalent bond by using (3-Aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTES) as a bridging agent. The surface morphology and element compositions of PIPD fiber before and after grafting were characterized, and the effect of such treatment on the mechanical properties was also evaluated. The IFSS of the PIPD-Ti3C2(OH)2 was highly increased by 61.54% because of the significant improvement the fiber/epoxy interaction and surface wettability. Though the tensile strength (TS) was slightly decreased by only 5%. Furthermore, the experiment results showed a great enhancement of UV and hydrothermal aging resistance of the grafted fibers comparing with untreated ones by 33% and 25% respectively.