Abstract: Combined nitric acid oxidation method and polyaniline (PANI)-coated method were applied to modify the surface properties of short carbon fibers (SCF). The electrical and mechanical properties of acrylic coatings with 50 wt pct PANI-coated carbon fiber were investigated by using scanning electron microscope (SEM), UVVis spectrophotometer, four-probe method and the coaxial cable method. The results of the pH measurement and XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) patterns showed that the oxygen functional groups, such as -OH and -COOH, were attached on the carbon fiber surfaces after oxidation treatment. The XPS analysis of PANI-coated oxidized SCF (PAOSCF) revealed that PANI may bond on the surface of oxidized SCF with chemical bonds. SEM images and surface roughness analyses showed that PANI-coated layer changed the surface morphology. Compared with SCF/acrylic coating, the surface resistivity of PAOSCF/acrylic coating decreased from17.1 to 5.3 Ω/sq and the shielding efficiency (SE) value increased from 1.54 to 23.3 dB.

Key words: carbon fibers, polyaniline, surface treatment, dispersion stability, shielding effectiveness