Carbon fiber mesh reinforced cement-based composites (CMCCs) have received extensive attention in the field of engineering repair and structural reinforcement due to their outstanding properties such as two-way force, rust prevention, high specific strength, and low base surface requirements. However, the development of this material has been slowed down to some extent due to the poor interfacial bonding between the carbon fiber mesh and the cement matrix. In this paper, a novel fabrication strategy was proposed in which the carbon fiber mesh was modified with epoxy resin and silane coupling agent (SCA) to increase its surface chemical activity. Meanwhile, the hydroxymethyl cellulose (HMC) was also filled into the concrete matrix to improve the mechanical strength of the matrix as well as the load transfer behaviors between the mortar and carbon fiber (CF) mesh. The potential to employ SCA and HMC was evaluated for the making of CMCCs via the above methods. The results showed that the longitudinal shear strength of composites with SCA and SCA&HMC increased by 26.6% and 56.1% compared to those of CF with epoxy resin (EP) reinforced composites, respectively. The flexural strength of composite with SCA&HMC increases by 147.6% compared to I-(F) without CF. The novel II-HCM&CF/EP-SCA composites with excellent performance are promised to be applied in practical uses.
Keywords: carbon fiber mesh; hydroxymethyl cellulose; interface bond strength; silane coupling agent.