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Bimodification of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers
Author(s) -
Mathur R. B.,
Mittal J.,
Bahl O. P.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.1993.070490311
Subject(s) - polyacrylonitrile , materials science , catalysis , synthetic fiber , chemical engineering , composite material , polymer chemistry , carbon fibers , organic chemistry , polymer , chemistry , fiber , composite number , engineering
A new technique for the modification of PAN fibers has evolved, in which the starting precursor material is impregnated with an aliphatic carboxylic acid, as well as KMnO 4 . The bimodification of PAN, attempted by us for the first time, is aimed at achieving dual advantages in plasticization effect, as well as in a catalytic effect in a single treatment. The unmodified, unimodified, and bimodified precursors have been characterized for their mechanical, thermal, and physical behavior during various stages of processing to carbon fibers. These results are discussed in detail. The study further shows an 18% improvement in the mechanical properties of carbon fibers, prepared from bimodified precursor, as compared to that of unmodified precursor. One of the reasons for such improvement is the lowering in diameter of PAN fibers and in the resulting carbon fibers. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.