Ion-Beam Surface Modification of Carbon Fibers

• Published in: Surface investigation, x-ray, synchrotron and neutron techniques x-ray, synchrotron and neutron techniques, 2023-04, Vol.17 (2), p.426-439
• Main Authors: Andrianova, N. N., Borisov, A. M., Mashkova, E. S., Ovchinnikov, M. A., Suminov, I. V.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amorphization; Carbon fiber reinforced plastics; Carbon fibers; Carbon-carbon composites; Chemistry and Materials Science; Dynamic annealing; Graphitization; Helium ions; Ion beams; Materials Science; Nitrogen ions; Polyacrylonitrile; R&D; Radiation damage; Research & development; Sporting goods; Stiffness; Surfaces and Interfaces; Thermal expansion; Thin Films
• ISSN: 1027-4510; 1819-7094
• DOI: 10.1134/S1027451023020210

Carbon fibers are used in the production of automobiles, airplanes, sporting goods, energy, and biomedicine due to their unique properties such as high specific strength, high specific stiffness, low coefficient of thermal expansion, and low density. The research and development of both the technology of carbon-fiber production and their modification for a wide range of applications have been and remain relevant. The summary of accumulated experience in the modification of carbon fibers shows that ion-beam processing allows a variety of geometries of the developed surface topography, in particular, whisker-shaped and corrugated, oriented across or along the fiber, to be obtained. Such processing compares favorably with the usual whiskering of fibers both in terms of the variety of geometries of the composite interface, and by the absence of the problem of whisker-fiber adhesion. Ion-beam processing also makes it possible to modify the surface-layer structure from amorphized to ordered with different degrees of graphitization. Irradiation with chemically active ions leads to the functionalization of carbon fibers due to the formation, for example, of nitrides and carbon oxides. The choice of nitrogen ions for the technology of carbon-carbon and carbon-ceramic composites seems to be more preferable due to less stringent requirements for the temperature of the irradiated fiber. For the ion-beam corrugation of the surface of a polyacrylonitrile-based carbon fiber, only its heating above the temperature of dynamic annealing of the radiation damage is required. The use of helium ions in technological plasma-acceleration systems leads to a significant increase in the efficiency of ion-beam processing.