Mechanical property and thermal stability of short carbon fiber reinforced polysulfonamide composites

Abstract In this paper, polysulfonamide‐based composite materials (SCF/PSA_f composite) reinforced by the short carbon fiber were prepared. The mechanical properties and thermal stability of SCF/PSA_f composite were characterized experimentally and compared with those of polysulfonamide‐based single‐polymer composites (PSA SPCs). Results showed that SCF/PSA_f composites exhibit higher thermal stability due to the excellent thermal stability of SCFs. Furthermore, the additional short carbon fibers also considerably enhance the flexure strength of PSA SPCs due to the strong interfacial bonding between SCF and PSA_f. The properties and understanding of SCF/PSA_f composite obtained in this work can benefit further applications of this novel composite material. Highlights SCF/PSAf composites are prepared by hot compression, and the adhesion between the PSA matrix and SCF is good. The flexural strength of the SCF/PSAf composite is about 2.5 times higher than that of PSA SPCs. The storage modulus of SCF/PSAf composites is about 3.5 times higher than that of PSA SPCs. The addition of short carbon fibers helps to improve the thermal properties of SCF/PSA_f composites. SCF/PSA_f composite has a stronger ability to resist deformation and a higher operating temperature than the PSA SPCs do.