Surface Modification of Aramid Fibers by Bio-Inspired Poly(dopamine) and Epoxy Functionalized Silane Grafting

Abstract

A novel biomimetic surface modification method for meta-aramid (MPIA) fibers and the improvement on adhesion with rubber matrix was demonstrated. Inspired by the composition of adhesive proteins in mussels, we used dopamine (DOPA) self-polymerization to form thin, surface-adherent poly(dopamine) (PDA) films onto the surface of MPIA fibers simply by immersing MPIA fibers in a dopamine solution at room temperature. An epoxy functionalized silane (KH560) grafting was then carried out on the surface of the poly(dopamine)-coated MPIA, either by a "one-step" or "two-step" method, to introduce an epoxy group onto the MPIA fiber surface. The surface composition and microstructure of the modified MPIA was characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results indicated successful grafting of KH560 on the PDA-coated MPIA surface. A single-fiber pull-out test was applied to evaluate the adhesion of MPIA fibers with the rubber matrix. Compared with the untreated MPIA fibers, the adhesion strength between the modified MPIA fibers by "one step" method with rubber matrix has an increase of 62.5%.

Biomimetic surface modification of polypropylene by surface chain transfer reaction based on mussel-inspired adhesion technology and thiol chemistry

“…More importantly, the resultant polydopamine (PDA) film can act as a platform for easy and diverse secondary reactions to immobilize different functional groups [28][29][30][31][32][33]. It affords an opportunity to create a facial and versatile pathway for surface functionalization of PP.…”

Microwave-assisted deposition of silver nanoparticles on bamboo pulp fabric through dopamine functionalization

“…This film can be adhered onto the surfaces of almost all materials with no exception of superhydrophobic materials with low surface energy [27][28][29]. Therefore, dopamine has been used to modify the surface of various textile materials, e.g., polyester (PET) fabrics [30], carbon fiber [31] and aramid fibers [32] to improve the adhesive strength between coatings and substrates.…”

Synthesis and properties of poly(p-phenylene terephthalamide) bearing both polar and unsaturated substituents introduced via claisen rearrangement reaction

“…Coating the reinforcing fibers with sizing agents is an alternating way to improve interface structure. [22][23][24][25][26][27] de Lange and coworkers developed an "adhesion activation" method by coating an epoxy-amine finish (diglycidyl ether of glycerol as epoxy and piperazine as amine, at a mass ratio of 9: 1) onto the fiber surface, which remarkably enhanced the interfacial adhesion. [22][23][24] Tian and coworkers introduced the epoxy group onto the aramid fiber surface by…”

“…27 Due to the strong interaction between epoxy groups and the rubber matrix, the singlefiber pull-out tests showed that the interfacial adhesion increased by 62.5%.…”