Directly deposited graphene nanowalls on carbon fiber for improving the interface strength in composites
Graphene nanowalls (GNWs) were grown directly on carbon fibers using a chemical vapor deposition technique which is simple and catalyst free. We found that there is very strong p p stacking which is a benefit for the GNWs/carbon fiber interface. This single modified filament then was embedded into an epoxy matrix to be a single fiber composite in which was formed a "tenon mortise" structure. Such a "tenon mortise" model provides a simple, stable, and powerful connection between carbon fiber and the epoxy matrix. In addition, it was demonstrated that the epoxy matrix can be well embedded into GNWs through a field emission scanning electron microscope. The results of the single fiber composite tests indicated that the interfacial strength of the composites was immensely improved by 173% compared to those specimens without GNWs.