Surface Modification And Functionalization Of Aramid Fiber

Aramid fiber is one of the most well-known high-performance synthetic fiber,which have a growing demand in global market for its high strength,high modulus,thermal stability,low density and good wear resistance.Recent years,the localization of aramid fiber has made good progress,however the quality of aramid products is still a certain distance from world-class manufacturers.The production of aramid terminal applications are mainly concentrated in the low-end market,rather than the high-tech and functional materials.The reason is the lack of appropriate modification methods to meet the special needs of different areas.In this paper,we focuses on the surface modification and functionalization of aramid fiber.Different methods were conducted to improve its surface roughness and UV resistance.In addition,the fiber was metallized to prepare conductive aramid fiber.(1)The surface of aramid fiber was treated with zinc chloride ethanol ion liquid.The effect of hydrogen bond reconstruction on the fiber structure and properties was studied.The ultrasonic treatment was used to accelerate the reaction between ionic liquid and the fiber surface to achieve the ideal treatment in a short time.Both the mechanical properties and the surface roughness of the fibers were increased after the treatment.It’s also worth noted that the treating method certainly improved the interaction between the fiber and the resin interface by SEM scan.(2)The fiber surface structure and mechanical properties were improved through the zinc chloride ethanol solution ultrasonic treatment.On this basis,the use of hydrothermal reaction induced the formation of nano-zinc oxide on fiber surface.The AFM and SEM showed that the distributions of the nano-zinc oxide were evenly.The nano-zinc oxide on the fiber surface effectively improves the UV weatherability of the fiber and greatly slows the photoaging rate.The single fiber breaking strength remains 81.9% after 24 hours of ultraviolet light irradiation.(3)The(3-mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane was used to modified aramid fiber to introduce thiol groups onto the fiber surface.The modified fiber has the selective adsorption to the metal ion,therefore can guarantee the silver ions be generated and deposed on the fiber surface.Thus conductive aramid fibers with high electrical conductivity were prepared by this method.SEM and AFM images showed that the silver layer on the fiber surface was regular and compact,and the purity of silver layer was confirmed by XRD patterns.In addition,different conductive patterns were printed on the surface of the flexible aramid fabric by screen printing to meet the actual needs.