In the present work, the effect of plasma treatment of aluminum on the fracture toughness of CFRP/aluminum composites was investigated. The surface of the aluminum was treated by a DC plasma. The plasma treatment was carried out at volume ratio of acetylene gas to nitrogen gas of 5:5 and the treatment time used was 30 sec. Cracked lap shear specimens of aluminum/CFRP composites were made using secondary bonding procedure. Fracture toughness of aluminum/CFRP composites was determined using the work factor approach. Then, the fracture toughness of plasma-treated aluminum/CFRP composites was compared with that of untreated aluminum/CFRP composites. The results showed that the fracture toughness of plasma-treated aluminum/CFRP composites was about 50 % higher than that of untreated aluminum/CFRP composites.