Improvements of mechanical and tribological properties of carbon fiber reinforced composites via chemically grafting MA onto MnO2 nanosheets as interphase

To intensify the interfacial properties between carbon fiber (CF) and resin without sacrificing fiber, a new type of carbon fiber reinforced resin composite was designed and fabricated with MnO2 nanosheets and melamine (MA) as interphase. The MnO2 nanosheets were uniformly grown on the carbon fiber via hydrothermal method. And then MA was grafted on the MnO2 nanosheets to from chemical bond with resin by a simple bath shock method. The experiment results show that the flexural and tensile strength of the composite reinforced by CF-MnO2-MA increased by 24.1% and 14.5% compared to that of CF, respectively. And the wear rate is reduced by about 29.6%. In summary, the improvement of mechanical and frictional properties of the composite is related to the synergetic reinforcement in mechanical interlocking and chemical bonding of MnO2 nanosheets and MA.