TOF‐SIMS satudies of carbon‐fibre surfaces and carbon‐fibre composite fracture surfaces

The application of time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF‐SIMS) to the investigation of interface interactions in carbon‐fibre composites is discussed. Surface analysis of carbon fibres before and after electrochemical oxidation reveals the dominating effect of molecular contamination of the fibre surface (and hence the importance of processing/handling memory effects) on the spectra obtained. High‐resolution SIMS imaging of carbon fibres is particularly useful for contamination identification and clarification of SEM information. Progress in the development of fractography using TOF‐SIMS imaging is also discussed; the important experimental parameters are defined whilst illustrating their effect with a real‐life example.