Study on atomic oxygen erosion resistance for the interface of carbon fiber/epoxy composites

This study proposes a method of improving the ability of atomic oxygen (AO) erosion resistance for the interface of carbon fiber/epoxy (CF/EP) composites by means of plating gold (Au) on CF surface. Tests of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) indicate that Au coating, with the thickness of about 50 nm is dense, uniform and complete, and has good adhesion to the CF substrate. Interfacial shear strength (IFSS) of single-fiber microcomposites made from CF and EP before and after AO exposure is measured by single-fiber pull-out instrument. The results show that the IFSS of the single-fiber microcomposites, which are protected by Au coating is hardly affected by AO for long time exposure of 8 h, in contrast to those which are not protected with Au coating, whose IFSS decreased dramatically for an AO exposure time of 2 h.