TREATED GLASS-FIBERS - ADSORPTION OF AN ISOCYANURATE SILANE FROM CCL4

The adsorption of isocyanurate silane on E-glass fibers has been inves tigated by scanning electron microscopy, diffuse reflectance Fourier t ransform infrared spectroscopy (DRIFT), X-ray photoelectron spectrosco py (XPS), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The strength of the si lane-glass interaction has been related to the extent of removal of th e adsorbed species after washing with a range of solvents. The DRIFT a nd TGA methods both support the conclusion that tetrahydrofuran and ac etone, used as washing liquids, adsorb onto the polymerized silane sur face. Dichloromethane efficiently removes most of the physisorbed sila ne, while methanol is less efficient, but promotes a reorientation of the silane. The adsorption and the orientation of the silane is clearl y dependent on the relative affinity for the solvent on the one hand a nd for the glass fiber surface on the other. The XPS N/O ratio and N I s signal defined both the silane removal and its reorientation on the fiber surface. The morphology of the treated fibers was studied by sca nning electron microscopy. (C) 1997 Academic Press.