Evaluation of Surface Functionality and Mechanical Performance of Composites Remanufactured From Recycled Fibers

With exponentially growing consumption of fiber‐reinforced composites, those end‐of‐life materials now present urgent recycling challenges. Pyrolysis recycling stands as a relatively mature technology that can rapidly degrade substrates at high temperatures to obtain recycled fibers; however, the performance characteristics of different fibers after recycling vary, which makes it crucial to conduct analysis of the characteristics of the different recycled fibers in order to promote their application. Therefore, the surface morphology of recycled fibers and the mechanical characteristics of recycled fiber‐reinforced composites were thoroughly investigated in this study, aiming to match these recycled fibers with suitable application areas based on performance requirements. After pyrolysis recovery, the fiber surfaces exhibit some degree of damage due to high temperature and oxidative effects. Still, their monofilament mechanical properties were generally maintained at 90% or above. Among all the fibers, T800 demonstrated the highest performance retention rate, which made it the most promising candidate for high‐value applications. In applications with less stringent mechanical requirements, the use of glass fibers can offer a cost‐effective alternative comparable to that of certain carbon fibers. By mapping different characteristics of recycled fibers to specific application requirements, this work provides a practical roadmap for valorizing recycled fibers.