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By: Indra Neel Pulidindi
1. Indra Neel Pulidindi*, Research Consultant, Jesus’ Scientific Consultancy for Industrial and Academic Research (JSCIAR, Tharamani 600113, India
Wettability is the property that quantifies the propensity of a solid surface (carbon fiber) to be covered by a liquid (resin). For a wettable solid, the solid-liquid contact is favoured and as a result the liquid spreads on such surface of the solid. Spreading of the liquid on the solid surface is primarily driven by the adhesive forces between the liquid and the solid, while the inter molecular cohesive forces of the liquid molecules prevent spreading and keep the liquid confined. Wettability of the carbon fibers, namely, NX90, NX100, M55J, T700SC, CCF800H and T800HB, was determined using Wilhelmy balance method with resin test liquids, like, HY, cyanate ester, AG80, E51 and other test liquids, like, glycerol and 1-bromonapthalene. Among all the CF-resin combinations tested for composite applications, T700SC-HY stood out with the lowest dynamic contact angle (DCA, 22.9°) and correspondingly highest wettability followed by M55J-cyanate ester and M55J-AG80. PAN based fibers showed higher wettability (lower DCA values) compared to pitch based counter parts. Among pitch based fibers-resin composites, NX90-HY showed the lowest DCA (55°) and so the highest wettability and this combination is recommended for the production of CFRC’s with strong interface and highest load bearing capability. For the preparation of single filaments from the carbon fiber tows, in the course of sample preparation for the DCA measurements, it is recommended that the pitch based CFs, namely, NX90 and NX100 be wetted with a few mL of ethanol that facilitates the easy separation of CFs by making the sizing (DGEBA polymer) compound on the surface expand and thereby weakening the binding between adjacent pitch based fibers in the carbon fiber tows. Such a measure would save time and prevent the testing of patience of the researcher.
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Citation:
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