Treatment of E-glass fibres with acid, base and silanes

Raman spectroscopy, plasma emission spectroscopy, electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA), elemental analysis, solution conductivity and pH , were used to characterise the solutions and the acid, base and silane-tre ated E-glass fibres. Strong acids and bases induced an ion exchange reactio n, which caused large quantities of aluminium and calcium to be leached fro m the E-glass surface. Samples treated with strong bases were found to have large quantities of sodium on the E-glass fibre surface; this came from th e sodium hydroxide used to treat the fibres and from the bulk of the fibre. A cyclic isocyanurate silane, which was only partially soluble in water, w as detected on the E-glass surface. A cationic amino-functional silane este r with a long organic chain did not completely hydrolyse in an aqueous solu tion adjusted to pH = 4. The solution concentration, which gave the maximum amount deposited, was different for each silane tested. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.