Sulfone-functionalized poly(p-phenylene terephthalamide) copolymer fibers with improved interfacial adhesion to epoxy matrices

The poor interfacial adhesion of aramid fiber and matrix limits the application of the final composites. In this study, a series of the sulfone-functionalized poly( p-phenylene terephthalamide) (SPPTA) copolymers were satisfactorily synthesized and the effects of polymerization conditions (contents of the additional monomer and the cosolvent LiCl, molar concentration and ratio of the monomer, reaction temperature and time) on the molecular weight of the copolymer were discussed. The introduction of the sulfone group in aromatic polyamides not only increased the polarity of poly( p-phenylene terephthalamide) (PPTA) but destroyed the regular arrangement of the molecular chains, which greatly improved the surface free energy and the solubility of the polymers in organic solvents. The polymer maintained excellent thermal and interfacial properties. Compared with the PPTA fiber/epoxy composites, the interfacial shear strength (IFSS) of SPPTA fiber-reinforced epoxy composites reached 43.5 MPa, with a significantly enhancement of 20.8%, implying that the study provided an effective method to achieve highly interfacial adhesion of aramid fiber-reinforced composites.