Interfacial Properties of Aramid Fiber Composites Reinforced with SiO2-Coated ZnO Nanoparticles

In this study, silica-coated zinc oxide nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared via a sol-gel method using inorganic NPs with an organic polymer binding. A hybrid coating was formed with epoxy resin to form a core-shell structure on the fiber surface to improve the interfacial properties between the fiber and resin. The results showed that there was no decrease in the tensile strength of the fiber and the interfacial shear strength with the epoxy resin increased by 38.26 % compared to the pristine sample. The addition of a silane coupling agent played an active role in improving the interfacial properties. Infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that chemical bonds formed between ZnO and SiO2. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the SiO2-coated ZnO NPs polymer composite formed a uniform film particle layer on the surface of the aramid fibers. With this method, it is possible to design aramid fiber composites with good interfacial properties.