Construction of Mussel-Inspired "Inorganic-Organic" Hybrids onto a Cylindrical Carbon Fiber via Green and Rapid Manufacturing toward Enhanced Interfacial Adhesion of Composites

A mussel-inspired "inorganic-organic" hybrid coat-ing with laminated architecture was used to wrap a circumferential carbon fiber through integrated utilization of polydopamine (PDA) nanosphere-decorated graphene oxide (GOPDA NPs) and PDA- polyether amine (PEA) under vacuum filtration, which has not been applied in fiber surface engineering. This modification process did not involve harsh conditions, toxic chemicals, and tedious operation, providing a facile, efficient, and sustainable procedure. By adjusting the deposition amount, an optimal structure and the corresponding strongest interfacial adhesion were achieved under addition of 30 mL. A growth of 88.6% up to 114.5 MPa in interfacial shear strength compared to that of the desized fiber (60.7 MPa) is visible. The reasons are associated with the improved wetting behavior and subsequent strong multi-interactions between the fiber and epoxy resin. The closely packed GOPDA NPs layers could effectively hinder crack extension, thus leading to great energy dissipation. Our strategy offers an attractive platform in surface engineering of one-dimensional fibers for producing high-performance composites to be applied in fields where energy saving, lightweight, and high performance characteristics are needed.