DESIRE

DESIRE: DESign of Interface structure of fiber-Reinforced polymer blEndAxes: Transportation, Surfaces & InterfacesLeaders: Hiroyuki KOSUKEGAWA (IFS, TU) & Florent DALMAS (MATEIS, INSA-Lyon)Participants: Toshiyuki TAKAGI (IFS, TU), Jean-Yves CAVAILLE (INSA-Lyon)We aim to develop new carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic (CFRTP) by using immiscible multi-component polymer blend to decrease fuel consumption of transportation machines and material handling in manufacturing. To put CFRTP to practical use, it is necessary to design the optimum interface structure between carbon fiber and polymer blend according to application. Polymer blend has multi-phase structures when the two or more components are immiscible to each other. The phase separation structure is determined by complying to the contents of the components, and affects the physical properties of CFRTP. However, the phase separation structure on the interface of fiber can be varied according to the surface chemistry of the fiber, which induces the change of the adhesion of fiber and matrix. Therefore, it is important to comprehend the relationship between the phase separation structure of polymer blend and the surface chemistry of carbon fiber. In this project, we attempt to analyze the interface structure between carbon fiber and polymer blend by various electron microscopy techniques. Furthermore, by evaluating the relationship between the interface structure and the interfacial shear stress of fiber/matrix, we aim to find and propose a method to design the optimized interface structure of carbon fiber/polymer blend.