Morphological and nanomechanical characterization of anisotropic interfacial characteristic regions in CF/PA6 composites at different cooling rates

Macroscopic tensile tests on neat PA6 and CF/PA6 prepregs showed that the cooling rate significantly affects the mechanical properties of CF/PA6 composites because of their different crystallization behaviors both at the fiber surface and in the matrix. Polarizing optical microscopy, static nanoindentation (SNI), and dynamic mechanical imaging (DMI) tests were used to characterize the anisotropic morphologies and nanomechanical performances of the interfacial characteristic regions in CF/PA6 composites at five different cooling rates. As a result, the seven interfacial characteristic regions inside the CF/PA6 composites were clearly distinguished. The interphase thickness of the CF/PA6 composites decreased with a decrease in the cooling rate. On the contrary, the interphase modulus and transcrystallinity thickness and modulus showed significant increases with a decrease in the cooling rate. The DMI and SNI test results were in agreement with each other and with the macromechanical test results. (c) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 44106.