Improved Mechanical Properties of Copoly(Phthalazinone Ether Sulphone)s Composites Reinforced by Multiscale Carbon Fibre/Graphene Oxide Reinforcements: A Step Closer to Industrial Production

Abstract

The properties of carbon fibre (CF) reinforced composites rely heavily on the fibre-matrix interface. To enhance the interfacial properties of CF/copoly(phthalazinone ether sulfone)s (PPBES) composites, a series of multiscale hybrid carbon fibre/graphene oxide (CF/GO) reinforcements were fabricated by a multistep deposition strategy. The optimal GO loading in hybrid fibres was investigated. Benefiting from the dilute GO aqueous solution and repeated deposition procedures, CF/GO (0.5%) shows a homogeneous distribution of GO on the hybrid fibre surface, which is confirmed by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscope, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, thereby ensuring that its PPBES composite possesses the highest interlaminar shear strength (91.5 MPa) and flexural strength (1886 MPa) with 16.0% and 24.1% enhancements, respectively, compared to its non-reinforced counterpart. Moreover, the incorporation of GO into the interface is beneficial for the hydrothermal ageing resistance and thermo-mechanical properties of the hierarchical composite. This means that a mass production strategy for enhancing mechanical properties of CF/PPBES by regulating the fiber-matrix interface was developed.