Preparation and characterization of silk hybridizing carbon fiber/polybutylene succinate composite

Abstract Carbon fiber‐reinforced composites (CFRPs) offer numerous benefits due to their exceptional strength and modulus, making them extensively utilized in various applications. However, the disadvantage of poor impact resistance also limits their application in some aspects. In this study, silk fabric is used to hybridize CFRPs, and the silk/carbon fiber‐reinforced polybutylene succinate (PBS) composites were fabricated by combining the film stacking technique with the hot‐pressing method. The mechanical, thermal, and thermodynamic properties of the composites were assessed using various techniques, including tensile testing, scanning electron microscope, flexural testing, Charpy impact test, low‐velocity impact test, differential scanning calorimetry, and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis, and the optimal preparation process conditions (140°C/15 min) for the composites were obtained. Additionally, the mechanical properties of silk fiber/PBS, carbon fiber/PBS, and hybrid composite materials are comprehensively compared and evaluated. This work indicates that the synergistic toughening of silk and PBS significantly improves the impact resistance of CFRPs, and the impact strength of sample 5 (140°C/15 min) (54.97 kJ/m²) is higher than many reported values for CFRPs. Highlights High strength, high modulus carbon fiber, and high toughness silk were rarely combined as reinforcing phases for PBS composites. A hybrid composite material with a balanced combination of stiffness, strength, and toughness was prepared. Compared with similar studies, it was found that the hybrid composite prepared by this work exhibited relatively balanced mechanical properties, especially, its impact strength higher than many reported values.