Adsorption of an isocyanurate silane on E-glass fibers from ethanol and toluene

Isocyanurate silane was adsorbed onto E-glass fibers from toluene and ethanol in order to gain a better understanding of the surface processes at the silane-glass interface of composite materials. Use of DRIFT (diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy), XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy), and TGA (thermogravimetric analysis) techniques allowed for the qualitative and quantitative determination of such surface processes. The degree of chemisorption of the silane to the glass surface was investigated by using a sequential washing procedure with solvents characterized by solubility parameters differing from each other. All the analyzing techniques indicated that coupling between the glass and the silane occurred. However, the structure of the silane film depends considerably on the solvent and on the subsequent washing procedure. (C) 2000 Academic Press.