The present work concerns the surface treatment of carbon fibers using hydrochloric and nitric acids treatment, so as to control the increase in surface roughness in order to improve the fiber/matrix interface of long fiber reinforced polymer composites. Sized carbon fibers from Toray were used. The samples were treated using hot hydrochloric and nitric acids (103°C) in concentrations of 35.5% and 97%, by weight respectively, at exposition times of 5, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 60 minutes. The chemically treated fibers were characterized by scanning electronic microscopy and tensile strength tests, assisted by Weibull statistics. It was found that the treatments employed modify the surface of the fibers and exposition periods longer than 20 minutes cause considerable degradation of their mechanical properties.
Carbon fibers; surface treatment; interface
