Thermal degradation behaviors and reaction mechanism of carbon fibre-epoxy composite from hydrogen tank by TG-FTIR

Abstract Thermal degradation behaviors and reaction mechanism of Carbon fibre-epoxy composite, obtained from Chinese widely applied hydrogen storage tank, were studied by thermogravimetry combined with Fourier transform infrared spectrometry at varying heating rates. The pyrolysis of carbon fibre-epoxy composite mainly occurs at 550–750 K. The average value of final residue is 72.42%. The calculated activation energies increase exponentially from 206.27 KJ/mol to 412.98 KJ/mol with the average value of 276.6 KJ/mol. The fourth reaction order model is responsible for the pyrolysis of carbon fibre-epoxy composite. The absorption spectra of the evolved gases provided the information that the main evolved products are H 2 O , C O 2 , C O (acid anhydride, ketone or aldehyde), e- caprolactam, alcohols and phenol. Moreover, C O group > alcohols > phenol > e- caprolactam >  C O 2  >  H 2 O . Epoxy is the main pyrolysis crude material in carbon fibre-epoxy composite.