Investigation on cryogenic interlaminar shear properties of carbon fabric/epoxy composites improved by graphene oxide-coated glass fibers

In this work, carbon fabric-reinforced epoxy (CF/EP) composites reinforced by graphene oxide-coated short glass fibers (GO/SGF) were manufactured and characterized. The interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) of CF/EP composites at room temperature (RT) and cryogenic temperature (77K) was compared, and the enhancement mechanism was revealed through the analysis of microstructure. The result shows that bonding via hydrogen bonding with GO improved the compatibility of the SGF in the epoxy matrix. The ILSS of the composite reached the maximum value at the content of 0.4wt% GO/SGF, and increased by 24.3% and 21.3% at RT and 77K, respectively. The improvement on the interlaminar shear performance is attributed to the bearing of transverse shear force by the SGF between the composite layers.