Remarkably improved interfacial adhesion of UHMWPE fibers reinforced composite by constructing a three-dimensional stacked nanoparticles structure at interphase

•A unique biomimetic layer was prepared by the synergistic effect of PDA and APTES.•The unique stacked structure made fibers surface possess improved wettability.•The IFSS of modified fibers exhibited 407.8 % increase relative to untreated UHMWPE.•Owing to unique structure, crack transmitting path became longer and more complicated.•The failure mechanism transformed to both cohesive failure and substrate failure.