An investigation to enhance the mechanical property of high‐performance thermoplastic composite through different plasma treatment

Abstract

Abstract In this study, polyetherketone was investigated as the high‐performance thermoplastic resin for fabrication of carbon fiber reinforced polymer composite. The composites were manufactured by film‐fiber stacking process and consolidation by compression molding. The surfaces are modified with different plasma treatment (argon, nitrogen, and air) to overcome the inert nature of carbon fiber surface and subsequent changes were analyzed through atomic force microscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and contact angle measurements. The effectivity of each type of plasma treatment in improvement of the surface—roughness, composition, and wettability were quantified and the subsequent effect on the mechanical properties was demonstrated by measurement of tensile properties and interlaminar shear strength (ILSS). The changes in interfacial morphology of the composite post plasma treatment have been characterized by scanning electron microscopy. From the test results, nitrogen plasma was found to most effective with a 43% increase in mean tensile strength and 25% increase in ILSS when compared to untreated composite.