Carbon fiber polypropylene interphase modification as a route to improved toughness

This manuscript describes the rapid surface modification of carbon fibers using small molecules for application in polypropylene composites at 10% and 40% weight fractions. Attachment an n-butylphenyl species onto fiber incorporation into homo-polypropylene resulted a significant toughness improvement, 32% 30% fractions respectively, when compared against untreated control samples. Further examination embedded length, fraction, polymer thermal properties (e.g. Tm Tc) showed no differences between treated However, it is proposed that mechanical performance changes originated from installed chemistry blending with phase. observed through experimental testing which suggests sliding interactions fiber-matrix interface has created material possesses superior ductility toughness.