Metal organic frameworks modification of carbon fiber composite interface

Carbon fiber reinforced polymeric composites (CFRPs) are prone to delamination due to insufficient interfacial properties. Several remedies were carried out to enhance the fiber/matrix interfaces via chemical treatments or utilizing stiffer nanomaterials at the interface. However, some of these treatments are destructive in nature and others are non-scalable. This investigation corroborates a novel methodology for developing hybrid reinforcements that comprise carbon fibers and metal organic frameworks (MOFs). The growth of MOFs is scalable, non-destructive to the fibers, and easily tailorable to control the porous morphologies of the MOFs at the interface. Furthermore, the study demonstrates the feasibility of utilizing the MOFs as a catalyst to grow carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on the carbon fibers. The microstructure of the MOFs was examined via microscopy, Raman analysis, wide-angle X-Ray scattering (WAXS), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The effects of the MOFs on the fiber thermal stability was probed using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), while contact angle analysis was employed to probe the effect of the different surface modifications on the fibers hydrophilicity. Several mechanical characterizations including tensile, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and shear lap joint were carried out to discern the effects of the MOFs on the composite structural performance. Several improvements emanated from the MOFs placement on the interface including improving the strength, enhancing the damping parameter by 500%, increasing the glass transition temperature of the composite by 20 °C and alleviating the shear lap joint strength by 40%.