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Dry‐jet wet‐spun PAN/MWCNT composite fibers with homogeneous structure and circular cross‐section
Author(s) -
Zhang Jian,
Zhang Youwei,
Zhang Degang,
Zhao Jiongxin
Publication year - 2011
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.36317
Subject(s) - materials science , composite material , spinning , ultimate tensile strength , fiber , microstructure , composite number , modulus
To produce polyacrylonirtile (PAN) fiber precursor with desired cross‐section shape, microstructure and mechanical properties, several measurements including adopting DMSO/water (95/5, v/v) mixture as the solvent of the spinning dope, ethanol/DMSO (60/40, v/v) mixture at 10°C as the coagulation medium, and modified multi‐walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) as the reinforcing nanofiller, as well as extra‐drawing the as‐spun fiber in air, were taken in the preparation of PAN fibers via dry‐jet wet spinning. The morphology, structure, and properties, thermal behavior of the resultant fibers were studied. The results show that gel fibers with homogeneous dense structure and circular cross‐section were obtained. High orientation of PAN molecules in fiber was achieved by additional drawing the as‐spun fiber in air. After the introduction of a very small amount of modified MWCNT, the tensile strength and modulus of the fiber enhance substantially: there is a 19% increase in strength and a 62% increase in modulus at a MWCNT content of 1.0 wt %. Also, the heat release rate decreases during the oxidative stabilization. The uniform microstructure, circular cross‐section, high orientation of PAN molecules, high tensile strength and modulus, as well as the gentle oxidative cyclization behavior, make the PAN/MWCNT composite fiber an attractive precursor candidate for carbon fiber. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012