In this article, we present a comparative assessment of adhesion in plasma-treated carbon fiber reinforced epoxy specimens subject to a post plasma isopropanol rinse. We find that plasma-treated and rinsed samples have better average adhesion than otherwise comparable unrinsed samples and attribute this finding to removal of a thin layer of ash from the plasma-treated surface. Using SEM, XPS, SIMS, and FTIR as diagnostic techniques, we are able to monitor the effects of the rinse on surface chemical functionalization.
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