(Invited) Aqueous Amination of Carbon Fiber Surfaces for Improved Composite Properties

• Published in: Meeting abstracts (Electrochemical Society) Vol. MA2019-01; no. 20; p. 1098
• Main Authors: Lowe, Michael A., Vlasak, Paul, Bank, Dave, Baumer, Richard
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.05.2019
• ISSN: 2151-2043; 2151-2035
• DOI: 10.1149/MA2019-01/20/1098

Meeting the global requirements for reduced CO 2 emission and increased vehicle fuel economy requires new technology development within the transportation industry. Vehicle lightweighting is a particularly important approach because reducing primary vehicle weight can often enable secondary mass reductions. Broad adoption of composite materials in the automotive industry requires composite development – including resin, fiber, and fiber interphase – and the ability to manufacture components at relevant rates and costs. As part of a broad effort to develop low-cost carbon fiber-reinforced composites, research at Dow has demonstrated a low-cost aqueous route to electrochemically modify fiber surfaces with amine-based reactive molecules. These functionalized fibers can then provide advantages in material handling and interphase development that enable lower-cost lightweighting solutions. While electrochemical surface treatment of carbon fibers is a mature field, this presentation will provide a demonstrative example of an early stage industrial approach to using electrochemical methods, from small scale concept screening to early-pilot scale material testing.