Interactions at fiber/matrix interface in short fiber reinforced amorphous thermoplastic composites modified with micro- and nano-fillers

This study aims at systematically extracting fiber/matrix interfacial strength in short-glass fiber-reinforced polymer composites using an experimental micromechanics approach which employs mechanical properties and residual fiber length distributions to derive the apparent interfacial shear strength. We started from neat high-impact polystyrene matrix short-glass fiber-reinforced composites (HIPS/GF) with varying fiber loading and proceeded toward HIPS/GF hybrid composites containing micro- and nano-fillers where complex fiber/matrix interfacial interactions exist. It was found that apparent interfacial shear strength does not vary with fiber content, while the presence of fillers with different length-scales alters fiber/matrix interactions depending on their influence on physical properties of the polymer matrix, particularly in the vicinity of reinforcing fiber surfaces.