Carbon Fiber Grafted with Nanodiamond: Preparation and Characterization

Nanodiamonds have recently attracted great attention because of their outstanding hardness in combination with excellent wear resistance. Chemistry modification of the surface and incorporation into a material are required in many applications. In this report, Nanodiamond particles were firstly reduced and two different approaches were used to prepare carbon fiber grafted with nano-diamond. Nanodiamonds functionalized with hydroxyl and amino groups via chemical modification were successfully introduced into the functionalized carbon fiber surface by covalent bonds. The modification of the carbon fibers was characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD). BET surface area of the carbon fibers was increased by about 58% compared with the unmodified fibers.