| AVS 64th International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| Plasma Science and Technology Division | Monday Sessions |
| Session PS+AS-MoM |
| Session: | Plasma Processing of Challenging Materials |
| Presenter: | Sally McArthur, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia |
| Authors: | S.L. McArthur, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia R. Radjef, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia BL. Fox, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
Carbon-fibre manufacturing is a well established process that includes a surface treatment and a sizing step which are fast and easily incorporated into the production process. In the electrolytic oxidation steps, ammonium bicarbonate is used to introduce functional and polar groups to the surface while weakly bound basal planes are removed and the surface roughness is increased. All these are desired effects that are then covered with the application of the sizing layer, which protects the fibre surface during subsequent processing steps. The size is generally an epoxy based emulsion that provides handleability, lubrication, protection and is supposed to create a strong bond. This production process creates a complex multilayered interphase that is not well understood. It is believed that the size partially reacts with the surface functional groups, leaving a sizing layer that is depleted in epoxide groups and hence not able to fully cure. Furthermore how do we know that enough hardener diffuses through the matrix to the fibre surface to fully cure the sizing layer in the first place?
The aim of this study is to replace the current surface treatment and sizing step by a two-step plasma approach that allows the formation of a controlled interphase. In part one of this project a comparative study between electrolytic oxidation and air plasma treatment has been performed. In a second stage plasma polymerisation of TMDSO was used to produce films of variable mechanical properties by controlling the plasma power. This talk will focus on the the development and characterisation of the lab-based plasma system used to deposit uniform coatings onto the carbon fibres using a reel-to reel process and dual electrode array.