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Updated: May 16, 2026

A Testing Platform for Durability Studies of Polymers and Fiber-reinforced Polymer Composites under Concurrent Hygrothermo-mechanical Stimuli
Published on: December 11, 2014
UV-Induced Photocatalytic Degradation of Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Amine-Cured Epoxy Composites Using an Acetic
Qihang Lou1, Jiayue Fu1, Yuting Wang1
1Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China.
Abstract:
Environmentally friendly recycling of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) waste is an urgent issue. In this study, amine-cured epoxy resin-based CFRPs were degraded using a UV-irradiated acetic acid/H2O2 system. The physicochemical properties of the recovered carbon fibers (RCFs) and degradation products were systematically characterized using SEM, XPS, FTIR, LC-MS, tensile and IFSS testing to deduce the degradation mechanism. Results indicate that UV irradiation accelerates hydroxyl radical generation and induces electronic transitions in C─N bonds. This significantly lowers the activation energy for bond cleavage, thereby enhancing degradation efficiency. Under optimal atmospheric conditions-CH3COOH/H2O2/resin mass ratio of 25: 5: 1, 110°C, and 365 nm UV irradiation at 95% intensity (119 mW/cm2)-100% resin degradation was achieved in just 15 min. Furthermore, the surface oxygen content of the RCFs doubled compared to the pristine fibers, while retaining over 96% of their original single-fiber tensile strength.
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