Adhesion and Mechanical Property Characterization of Reactive Graphitic Nanofibers Reinforced Epoxy as Composite Matrix

摘要

Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibers can be effective for shielding materials against galactic cosmic rays (GCR) and solar energetic particles due to their advanced mechanical properties and excellent shielding properties. Unfortunately, the poor interfacial adhesion in UHMWPE fiber/polymer matrix hinders the structural integrity and restricts the effectiveness of radiation shielding for application. Our preliminary research on processing technology and wetting properties of the reactive graphitic nanofibers (r-GNFs) reinforced epoxy as a composite matrix has shown that there is an improved wetting property of UHMWPE fibers with matrix in which r-GNFs were dispersed. In this study, the adhesion and mechanical properties of reactive graphitic nanofibers matrix were investigated. The commercial bisphenol A based epoxy resin, and an amine type curing agent were used to form the composite matrix. Both single-end and double-end bundle fiber pullout methods were designed and tested for characterization of adhesion property between UHMWPE fiber and nano-matrix. Three-point-bending specimens were prepared for mechanical property characterization. The results showed that the adhesion of nano-matrix to UHMWPE fiber was improved effectively. Furthermore, there was an enhancement in mechanical property of the nano-matrix.