Surface modification of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibers by an eco-friendly impregnation solution to enhance interfacial adhesion with rubber

Abstract

A novel environmentally friendly resorcinol–formaldehyde-free impregnation solution was successfully developed to enhance the interfacial adhesion of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fiber cords with rubber. The UHMWPE fiber cords were first treated by dopamine (DA) and N-(β-aminoethyl)-γ-aminopropylmethyldimethoxysilane (KH602), followed by impregnation in a mixture of glycerol triglycidyl ether (GTE), diethylenetriamine (DETA) and vinyl pyridine latex. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to characterize the chemical composition of the fiber cords surface. The results showed that the impregnation process successfully modified the surface of the UHMWPE fiber cords and did not deteriorate the fiber strength. The H pull-out results showed that the adhesion strength between the modified UHMWPE fiber cords and the rubber increased by 257 % compared to the untreated cords. In addition, scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS) was employed to characterize the interface morphology of the fiber cords/rubber composites. The formation of a transition layer and the migration of the curatives contributed to the improvement in the interfacial adhesive properties.

Keywords

• UHMWPE-fiber
• Impregnation
• Surface modification
• Interfacial adhesion
• Eco-friendly