Enhanced interfacial and mechanical properties of basalt fiber reinforced poly(aryl ether nitrile ketone) composites by amino-silane coupling agents

Basalt fiber (BF) reinforced heat-resistant thermoplastic engineering plastic composites exhibit excellent toughness, strength , corrosion resistance , and high- and low-temperature resistance. However, the BF and resin exhibit poor interfacial compatibility resulting in low interfacial strength. Here, mono-, di- and tri-amino silane coupling agents (3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, SATMS; N -(2-aminoethyl)-3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, DATMS and (3-trimethoxysilylpropyl)-diethylenetriamine, TATMS) were used to treat BF, and composites were then prepared using the modified BF and high-performance thermoplastic poly(phthalazinone ether nitrile ketone) (PPENK). The chemical structures , surface morphologies , roughness and hydrophilicity of the modified BF surface were characterized. In addition, the flexural strength , tensile strength and interlaminar shear strength of BF-DATMS/PPENK composite increased to 1127 MPa, 633 MPa and 55 MPa, which are 18%, 30% and 25% higher than the desized-BF/PPENK, respectively. And the BF-DATMS/PPENK composite exhibited a glass transition temperature ( T g ) of 293 °C higher than those of PPENK (280 °C) and desized-BF/PPENK (285 °C). Results indicated that the interfacial adhesion between BF and PPENK were improved by the amino-silane modified BF, which in turn enhanced the mechanical properties of the corresponding BF/PPENK composites.