A Functionalized Pyrrole Coating to Improve Fiber–Matrix Adhesion in Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polyphenylene Sulfide Composites

The bonding between fiber and matrix has a substantial impact on the mechanical performance of fiber reinforced polymer composites. This paper presents a newly developed pyrrole-based coating to improve the fiber–matrix adhesion within a carbon fiber (CF) polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) composite. Pyrrole is known to bond to carbon, while bonding to the polymer can be achieved by functionalizing the derivative. Two different pyrrole derivatives were tested, namely one containing a functional group toward the matrix and one pyrrole derivative lacking this functional group. The results show that this functional group on the pyrrole-based coating improves the fiber–matrix adhesion significantly, resulting in an increase in short beam strength (SBS) and in-plane shear (IPS) strength of approximately 25% for continuous CF PPS laminates.