Effect of pre-curing on thermoplastic-thermoset interphases

This study considered adhesion between thermoplastic and thermoset laminates through interdiffusion at the interface. The influence of the degree of cure of the thermoset at the start of the process was investigated through mechanical testing and microscopy. Increasing the initial degree of cure decreased both interlaminar fracture toughness and interphase thickness. Fracture toughness decreased disproportionately to interphase thickness, attributed to changes in interphase morphology and decreasing surface contact at the interface. A simplified model was developed using gel layer thickness measurement data to predict the level of interdiffusion with increasing initial degree of cure. Compared to thermoset-thermoset co-curing, there was superior bond strength at low initial degrees of cure and a predicted increased sensitivity to the initial degree of cure, suggesting a greater influence of process variability. Hence, for specific property critical applications, the trade-off between the potential manufacturing efficiency gains from semi-curing and the reduced performance would be an important consideration.