Ribbon fibres from naphthalene-based mesophase: Surface studies and fibre/matrix interactions in polycarbonate composites

Naphthalene-based mesophase ribbon fibres were studied in the present work. The fibres were surface treated in a plasma reactor and their mechanical and surface characteristics determined before and after the surface oxidation. The dispersive and non-dispersive components of the surface energy were obtained by contact angle measurements using a tensiometric method, and the surface oxygen content was measured by XPS. The mechanical characterisation was made by single filament tensile tests. The interactions between the ribbon fibres and a polycarbonate matrix were assessed by means of fragmentation tests. The results were compared with those obtained with pitch-based fibres with circular cross-sections.