Carbon fiber/epoxy composite materials cured thermally and with microwave irradiation

In this paper, composite materials of short carbon fibers (CFs) and a thermosetting epoxy were prepared in three different ways: without curing, thermal curing, and thermal curing followed by microwave irradiation. Mechanical properties of the three kinds of CF reinforced plastic (CFRP) composites were studied to explore the effect of microwave irradiation. Microscopic study with the aid of a scanning electron microscope (SEM) was performed on fractured composite surfaces to identify the principle features of failure. Degree of polymerization of the epoxy resin in the three CFRP composites was evaluated by infrared (IR) spectroscopy. The microwave irradiated CFRP exhibited mechanically ductile behavior even though its highest degree of polymerization. Use of microwaves and resultant stronger physico-chemical linkage at the interface between CF and epoxy resin are the main feature of this study.