Electron beam irradiation-enhanced wettability of carbon fibers.

A simple but controllable way of altering the surface nature of carbon fibers, without sacrificing their intrinsic mechanical properties, is demonstrated using electron beam irradiation. Such treatment leads to physically improved roughness as well as chemically introduced hydrophilic oxygen-containing functional groups on the surface of carbon fibers that are essential for assuring an efficient stress transfer from carbon fibers to a polymer matrix.