A feasibility study on direct measurements of interaction forces between carbon fiber surfaces and other substances

Abstract Mechanical properties of carbon fiber (CF) reinforced plastic composites are influenced by physicochemical interactions between CF surfaces and matrix polymers. Poor interfacial adhesion between CF surfaces and matrix polymer molecules caused by inertness of graphitic carbon still remains to be solved. Deeper comprehension of the interfacial properties would promote advancement of technologies enhancing the physicochemical interactions. Versatile methods for evaluation of CF surface properties along with interactions at the CF/polymer interface are required. In the present paper, we propose a method to measure interaction forces between CF surfaces and other substances with the aid of atomic force microscope (AFM). Small CF chips were mounted on AFM cantilevers to measure forces between the CF chip surfaces and other materials. Interaction forces between CF chips with/without ultraviolet generated ozone (UV‐ozone) treatment and epoxy precursor molecules were monitored. It has been widely accepted that the UV‐ozone treated CF surfaces exhibit superior affinity to organic molecules. Results of the interaction force measurements were consistent with the knowledge. This is the first paper reporting direct measurement of interaction forces between CF surfaces and other substances.