Synergistically optimizing interlaminar behavior of CFRP composites by simultaneously applying amino-rich graphene oxide to carbon fiber and epoxy matrix

In this study, graphene oxide (GO) with long flexible amino-rich structure, i.e., GO-COOH-T403, was prepared by grafting trifunctional polyether amine (T403) to the surface of in-situ carbonylated GO. The amino-rich GO nanosheets were employed to modify epoxy resin and fabricate multiscale carbon fiber (CF), respectively. Basing on that, carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites with superior interlaminar behavior were obtained via impregnating multiscale CF with the amino-rich GO modified epoxy. The interlaminar analysis indicated that simultaneously applying amino-rich graphene oxide to CF and epoxy matrix could effectively optimize the interlaminar properties of the resulting composites. Notably, the value of ILSS for multiscale CF reinforced amino-rich GO modified epoxy composites was 82.2 MPa and 32.6% higher than that single employed amino-rich GO into epoxy matrix or onto CF exhibiting a synergistic behavior. Therefore, this work was expected to provide new inspiration for developing high-performance CFRPs with excellent interlaminar properties.