Method of improving adhesion of carbon fibers with a polymeric matrix

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9365685-B2
Application number	US-201213406732-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 28, 2012
Priority date	Feb 28, 2012
Publication date	Jun 14, 2016
Grant date	Jun 14, 2016

Abstract

A functionalized carbon fiber having covalently bound on its surface a partially cured epoxy or amine-containing sizing agent, wherein at least a portion of epoxide or amine groups in the sizing agent are available as uncrosslinked epoxide or amine groups, which corresponds to a curing degree of epoxide or amine groups of no more than about 0.6. Composites comprised of these functionalized carbon fibers embedded in a polymeric matrix are also described. Methods for producing the functionalized carbon fibers and composites thereof are also described.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A carbon fiber having covalently bound on its surface a partially cured sizing agent comprised of an epoxy resin, wherein said epoxy resin is covalently attached to a linking group that contains an accessible unsaturated group capable of reacting with a carbon-carbon double bond via a vinyl addition reaction, and at least a portion of epoxide groups in the sizing agent are available as uncrosslinked epoxide groups, which corresponds to a curing degree of epoxide groups of no more than about 0.6.

2. The carbon fiber of claim 1 , wherein said epoxy resin possesses a curing degree of epoxide groups of no more than about 0.5.

3. The carbon fiber of claim 1 , wherein said epoxy resin possesses a curing degree of epoxide groups of no more than about 0.4.

4. The carbon fiber of claim 1 , wherein said epoxy resin is comprised of a difunctional epoxy resin.

5. The carbon fiber of claim 4 , wherein said difunctional epoxy resin is selected from one or both of bisphenol A diglycidyl ether and ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether.

6. The carbon fiber of claim 1 , wherein said epoxy resin is a trifunctional or a higher functional epoxy resin.

7. The carbon fiber of claim 1 , wherein said partially cured sizing agent is a flexible gel.

8. A carbon fiber having covalently bound on its surface a partially cured amine-containing sizing, wherein at least a portion of amine groups in the sizing agent are available as uncrosslinked amine groups, which corresponds to a curing degree of amine groups of no more than about 0.6.

9. The carbon fiber of claim 8 , wherein said amine-containing sizing agent possesses a curing degree of amine groups of no more than about 0.5.

10. The carbon fiber of claim 8 , wherein said amine-containing sizing agent possesses a curing degree of amine groups of no more than about 0.4.

11. The carbon fiber of claim 8 , wherein said amine-containing sizing agent is comprised of an organoamine moiety containing at least two amine groups selected from primary and secondary amine groups.

12. The carbon fiber of claim 8 , wherein said partially cured amine-containing sizing agent is a flexible gel.

13. The carbon fiber of claim 8 , wherein said amine-containing sizing is covalently attached to a linking group that contains an accessible unsaturated group capable of reacting with a carbon-carbon double bond via a vinyl addition reaction.

Assignees

• Vautard Frederic
• Ozcan Soydan
• Paulauskas Felix Leonard
• Ut Battelle Llc

Inventors

• Vautard Frederic
• Ozcan Soydan
• Paulauskas Felix Leonard

Classifications

• C08J5/06 Primary

  using pretreated fibrous materials · CPC title

• C08J2463/00

  Characterised by the use of epoxy resins; Derivatives of epoxy resins · CPC title

• Y10T428/249948

  Fiber is precoated · CPC title

• Y10T428/2918

  including free carbon or carbide or therewith [not as steel] · CPC title

• C08J2333/04

  esters · CPC title