METHODS FOR TREATING REINFORCING FIBER AND TREATED REINFORCING FIBERS

• Main Authors: Miller Craig A, Poirier Derrick M, Parkar Zeba, David Moses M, Kirk Seth M
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 16.02.2017
• Subjects: AFTER-TREATMENT NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C08B, C08C, C08F,C08G; CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF GLASSES, GLAZES, OR VITREOUSENAMELS; CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; GENERAL PROCESSES OF COMPOUNDING; GLASS; JOINING GLASS TO GLASS OR OTHER MATERIALS; LAUNDERING; METALLURGY; MINERAL OR SLAG WOOL; ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF FIBRES OR FILAMENTS MADE FROM GLASS,MINERALS OR SLAGS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF GLASS; TEXTILES; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; TREATMENT, NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE IN CLASS D06, OF FIBRES, THREADS, YARNS,FABRICS, FEATHERS, OR FIBROUS GOODS MADE FROM SUCH MATERIALS; WORKING-UP

Surface treated fibers and methods of treating individual fiber surfaces. One exemplary method includes subjecting a precursor gas to a plasma-generating discharge within an atmospheric plasma generator to generate a reactive species flow including reactive oxygen species, and exposing a reinforcing fiber to the reactive species flow for a treatment time sufficient to functionalize the reinforcing fiber with oxygen such that at least one of a composite matrix interfacial adhesion of the reinforcing fiber or a composite matrix interfacial strength of the reinforcing fiber, increases. The precursor gas preferably includes a carrier gas and an oxidative gas, the oxidative gas being contained in an amount of up to 25% by volume of the precursor gas.