this citation summarizes a one-page announcement of technology available for utilization. recent work has identified a new, relatively-inexpensive surface treatment for carbon fibers that enhances the interlaminar shear strength (ilss) without altering the tensile strength significantly. one of the factors that limits the usefulness of carbon-fiber/epoxy composites is the comparatively poor strength of the bond between the fibers and the matrix, often measured in terms of the ilss. for example, conventional s-glass fiber composites typically have an ilss on the order of 15 kpsi, while untreated carbon-fiber composites can have ilss as low as 4 kpsi. many different surface treatments have been proposed to improve the interfacial bond between the fiber and the matrix by either modifying the functional groups on the surface of the fiber or by enhancing the surface area of the fiber. these include wet and dry oxidative etching, chemical-vapor deposition, whiskerizing, and a multitude of polymer coatings. although threefold to fivefold improvements in ilss can be achieved with some of these surface treatments, the treatment process often degrades the tensile strength or is prohibitively expensive. the exposure of polyacrylonitrile-based t-300 (or equivalent) fibers to bromine vapor at room temperature improves the ilss of epoxy composites made from these fibers by 30 percent, from an average of 7.7 kpsi to 10.0 kpsi