Sizing-compatible interphase engineering of glass fiber fabrics for coupled electrical and mechanical functionality

Official URL: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2026.167189

In this study, a sizing-compatible and scalable surface modification strategy is presented to functionalize commercially sized fiber fabrics without desizing. Surfactant-assisted aqueous graphene oxide (GO) dispersions were directly deposited onto sized glass fiber surfaces, followed by controlled chemical and thermal reduction to tailor surface chemistry, interphase architecture, and conductive network formation. Chemical reduction using hydrazine hydrate increased the C/O atomic ratio from 1.07 to 5.34, while subsequent thermal reduction further enhanced deoxygenation, reaching C/O ratios up to 17.19. These surface transformations promoted partial restoration of sp2 carbon domains and enabled the formation of percolated conductive pathways across the fabric. As a result, the optimized reduced GO-functionalized fabric exhibited a low electrical resistance of 6.50 ± 1.44 kΩ, corresponding to an electrical conductivity of (1.54 ± 0.04) × 10⁻4 S cm⁻1. Importantly, the surface modification did not compromise the mechanical integrity of the fabric. Instead, the tensile strength increased from approximately 2 MPa for the neat fabric to about 5.75 MPa after rGO coating, representing an improvement of nearly 187%, accompanied by an increase in tensile modulus. rGO nanosheets form inter-fiber bridges, enhancing load transfer efficiency and suppressing fiber slippage and rGO-functionalized fabrics exhibited electrothermal behavior, showing a surface temperature rise of approximately 1.6 °C within 6 s under an applied voltage of 12 V. This work establishes a clear surface chemistry–processing–property relationship and demonstrates an industrially relevant route for engineering multifunctional glass fiber surfaces combining electrical, electrothermal, and mechanical functionality.