Effect of surface modification by bromination and metalation on Kevlar fibre-epoxy adhesion

This research uses metalation, bromination, and grafting to modify the surface of Kevlar fibre. The resulting fibre was characterized with tensile measurement, infrared spectroscopy, intrinsic viscosity, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). From the SEM micrographs, the surface morphology of the bromine etched Kevlar fibre has a rougher surface than the untreated fibre. Furthermore, the tensile strength of Kevlar fibre decreases with the increase of bromine treating time. The interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) of the fibre-reinforced epoxy composite was measured. The results show that the ILSS of the bromoacetic acid-grafted Kevlar sample can be increased by 12%, while that of epichlorohydrin-grafted Kevlar can be increased by 8%.