Evaluation of fiber surface modification via air plasma on the interfacial behavior of glass fiber reinforced laminated veneer lumber composites

Abstract Air plasma was successfully applied to improve the interfacial adhesion between glass fiber (GF) and adhesive for preparing the GF reinforced laminated veneer lumber (LVL) composites with excellent mechanical performance. Benefiting from the synergetic effect of oxidation and etching of air plasma, the surface free energy increased by 17.68% and water contact angle decreased by 35.9% for the plasma modified GF at 4.5 kW plasma power. The MOR and MOE values of plasma-modified composites increased by 36% and 16%, respectively. This study suggested that air plasma could become a promising technology in improving interfacial adhesion of GF reinforced LVL composites.