Uniform modification of carbon fibers in high density fabric by γ-ray irradiation grafting

High density carbon fiber fabric was modified by using gamma-ray irradiation grafting technology in ammonia and gaseous triethylenetetramine. Atomic force microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were performed to characterize the modified carbon fibers. The results showed that the irradiation grafting was much more uniform throughout the thickness of the fabric compared with the traditional commercial electrochemical treatment and the nitrogen-containing functional groups were significantly increased. The single fiber pull-out tests indicated that the interfacial strength of the resulting composites had dramatic increases and the single fiber tensile strength measurements showed that the fiber strength did not have any discernable decrease. (C) 2011 Elsevier BM. All rights reserved.