Surface Modification Of Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (Uhmwpe)Fiber Via A Bio-Inspired Dopamine Oxide Polymerization And Fabrication Of Its Rubber Composite

To improve the poor interfacial bonding property, the surface of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) was modified by the follow three steps:dopamine decoration, epoxy grafting and RFL dipping. Firstly, the UHMEPE fibers were functionalized with a bio-inspired polydopamine (PDA) coating. Then, two different methods of epoxy grafting on the surface of the modified fibers were used. Compared with conventional modification methods, the overall procedure was simple, environmental and controllable. The surface changes of the modified UHMWPE fibers were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and contact angle measurements. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images revealed the apparent morphology changes. The results showed that polydopamine was successfully deposited on the fibers and epoxy was successfully grafted onto the PDA layers. The UHMWPE/rubber composite samples were prepared by the modified UHMWPE fibers co-vulcanized with rubber, and the average peel strength was up to7.8N/mm. It indicated that the improvement of the adhesion property of UHMWPE with rubber.