KINETIC AND THERMODYNAMIC CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING INTERPHASE FORMATION IN THERMOSETTING COMPOSITE SYSTEMS

Thermodynamic and kinetic treatments are employed to analyze the role of preferential adsorption and diffusion in the formation of interphas e regions in thermosetting composities. The thermodynamic analyses sho w that a driving force exists for the preferential adsorption of amine s onto carbon fiber surfaces in amine-epoxy systems. Scaling analyses, based on kinetic considerations, lead to the identification of reacti on-diffusion time regimes that control interphase formation in sized a nd unsized fiber systems. These considerations provide guidelines for the selection of material formulations and processing conditions that may be used to tailor behavior of the interphase region in thermosetti ng composites.