Synthesis of unsaturated polyesters for improved interfacial strength in carbon fibre composites

Carbon fibres are gaining use as reinforcement in glass fibre/polyester composites for increased stiffness as a hybrid composite. The mechanics and chemistry of the carbon fibre–polyester interface should be addressed to achieve an improvement also in fatigue performance and off-axis strength. To make better use of the versatility of unsaturated polyesters in a carbon fibre composite, a set of unsaturated polyester resins have been synthesized with different ratios of maleic anhydride, o-phthalic anhydride and 1,2-propylene glycol as precursors. The effective interfacial strength was determined by micro-Raman spectroscopy of a single-fibre composite tested in tension. The interfacial shear strength with untreated carbon fibres increased with increasing degree of unsaturation of the polyester, which is controlled by the relative amount of maleic anhydride. This can be explained by a contribution of chemical bonding of the double bonds in the polymer to the functional groups of the carbon fibre surface.