Patent ID: 8764929

Claim:
A method of promoting adhesion on a composite surface, the method comprising: providing a composite structure having at least one composite surface to be bonded; preparing the at least one composite surface; providing a chemical derivatization compound containing active molecular functional groups that promote adhesion and detect adhesion mechanisms, wherein the chemical derivatization compound is selected from the group consisting of tetrafluoroaceticanhydride (TFAA), pentafluorophenol, allyl pentafluorobenzene, tridecafluorononyl maleimide, and glycidyloctafluoropentyl ether; depositing the chemical derivatization compound on the prepared composite surface and activating the molecular functional groups through chemical derivatization reaction mechanisms to form a molecular functional group-adhesive promoter derivatized layer on the prepared composite surface as a bonding agent, the chemical derivatization reaction mechanisms creating reactive molecular functional groups on the prepared composite surface, and the chemical derivatization reaction mechanisms selected from the group consisting of bromination, silination, and thionation; applying an adhesive layer to the derivatized layer; and, heat curing the adhesive layer to result in a bond with another structure made of a composite, a metal, or a combination thereof.