Development of hydrophilic carbon fiber textiles using seed-assisted hydrothermal deposition of ZnO nanostructures for enhanced interfacial interaction in CFRP composites

Two-step hydrothermal deposition of zinc-oxide (ZnO) nanorods was used to functionalize carbon fiber textiles in order to produce increased hydrophilicity on fiber surface. On carbon fiber textiles, tightly packed ZnO nanorods developed after five seed cycles and five hours of growth treatment in a 30mM precursor salt based on the hydrothermal synthesis. Extensive characterizations have been performed on field emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, High resolution transmission electron microscopy, Photoluminescence spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy to assess the different aspects such as structural, morphological, elemental, and wettability of the plain and ZnO-modified carbon fiber textiles. ZnO nanomaterial having hexagonal nanorods shape and wurtzite crystalline structure were uniformly deposited on the fabrics. Owing to the wettability study, ZnO prisms improved the hydrophilicity of virgin carbon fiber textiles to enable strong bonds with polymer matrix. The findings highlight the significant improvement in the static water contact angle as a result of the samples' ZnO coating's ability to reduce surface free energy. The improved hydrophilicity in carbon fiber may enhance the bonding between carbon fibers and matrix materials in composite materials. Hydrophilic carbon fibers are more easily wetted by the matrix materials, allowing for better penetration of the matrix into the fiber structure.