Carbon fibers, owing to their unique property of high specific strength, find immense utility in almost all sectors of human activity, ranging from aeronautics, astronautics, geonautics, aquanautics, industry, catalysis, smart materials, defence, and many more. The production, properties, and applications of carbon fibers and related materials are a fertile and fast-growing research area drawing wide attention of researchers worldwide. The key feature of this original research paper is to study two of the carbon fibers, namely, surface morphology and elemental composition of commercial carbon fibers using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and the CHNS/O elemental analyzer. Now, the important question arises, namely, what is the significance of studying the surface morphology as well as the elemental composition of carbon fibers (CFs)? These two aforementioned properties are as important as the properties, namely, structure, surface functionality, and mechanical properties, as they determine the ultimate performance and applicability of the carbon fibers. For instance, the greater the roughness of the surface, in general, the greater will be the surface energy and reactivity of the carbon fibers with the polymer matrices, resulting in a strong interface in the carbon fiber reinforced composites (CFRCs). Moreover, the performance of the carbon fibers will be at its best if the material is free from surface defects and voids, which could be probed from FE-SEM studies. Analogous to morphology, the elemental chemical composition of carbon fibers is vital as it reflects the degree of surface functionalization or heterogenization of the CFs. The greater the number of heteroatoms, like oxygen and nitrogen, the lower the contact angle and the greater the wettability of the carbon fibers with the polymer matrices, resulting in the formation of carbon fiber reinforced composites with optimal interfacial strength and mechanical properties. Having answered the question on the significance of exploring the morphology and elemental composition of carbon fibers, the results obtained from such a characterization are discussed in this landmark paper.

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