2002 Volume 51 Issue 9 Pages 1038-1044
An investigation was performed on interfacial control between adhesive and surface of GF/PP composites in the case of oxygen plasma treatment. In particular, the relationship between the adhesive strength and the surface energy of GF/PP composites in the case of oxygen plasma treatment was reported. The surface energy was determined by a contact angle measurement test and shear tensile tests were carried out using single lap joint specimens in order to estimate the adhesive strength properties of GF/PP composites. Furthermore, an XPS analysis and a SEM observation were carried out to investigate the surface characteristics of GF/PP composites. The results showed that their surface energy largely increased, and functional groups, namely, carboxyl group, hydroxyl group and carbonyl group, were formed on their surface after the oxygen plasma treatment. It was also found that their adhesive strengths using the oxygen plasma were higher than those for the non-plasma-treated specimens. In addition, from SEM observations of the surface of oxygen-plasma-treated specimens, many cracks formed due to plasma etching were observed in the interface. These results showed that the adhesive strength could be further improved by the anchor effect.
