Deposition of Cu on Carbon Fibers and Influence Mechanisms

In order to improve the wetting behavior and refrain the chemical reaction, to prepare an interphase between carbon fiber and aluminum matrix is essential. In the present paper, conventional electroplating equipment was improved to deposit copper interphase on the carbon fibers. It was found that the improved equipment could effectively prepare a homogeneous interphase on carbon fibers with the help of fiber pretreatment. On this basis, the influence of plating additives, pH value of electroplating solution and plating time on the quality of copper interphase was investigated. The scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffractometer were applied to characterize the microstructure and the consisting phase of interphase. The results indicate that a fine copper interphase with good interfacial bonding strength can be uniformly deposited on the carbon fibers with the help of plating additives. For obtaining a continuous copper interphase, the pH value of 0.8 is appropriate. Besides, the interphase thickness almost linearly increases with the increase of plating time under the appropriate condition.