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Preparation of polyacrylonitrile/graphene oxide by in situ polymerization
Author(s) -
Wu Fangfang,
Lu Yonggen,
Shao Guilin,
Zeng Fanlong,
Wu Qilin
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
polymer international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.592
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1097-0126
pISSN - 0959-8103
DOI - 10.1002/pi.4221
Subject(s) - polyacrylonitrile , materials science , graphene , polymer , in situ polymerization , differential scanning calorimetry , thermogravimetric analysis , polymerization , oxide , chemical engineering , carbonization , polymer chemistry , scanning electron microscope , crystallinity , composite number , composite material , nanotechnology , physics , engineering , metallurgy , thermodynamics
Highly oriented molecular structure is essential for high‐performance carbon fibers. The addition of a small amount of graphene sheets may enhance the degree of molecular orientation of precursor fibers during spinning and stabilization by limiting the disorientation of the chain segments. Graphene sheets merge into the carbon fiber structure during carbonization. The structure and properties of polyacrylonitrile containing graphene oxide (GO) prepared by in situ polymerization were investigated. With increasing GO loading, the molecular weight of the polymer decreased gradually from 69 000 g mol −1 for the sample without GO to 60 600 g mol −1 for the sample with 2.5 wt% loading of GO. Scanning electron microscopy and X‐ray diffraction results indicated that GO was dispersed in single layers in the polymer matrix. The degree of crystallization of the polymer with 0.5 wt% GO was increased by 8%. Moreover, differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis showed that an appropriate amount of GO, e.g. 0.5 wt%, made the carbon yield of the polymer increase by 5.0 wt%, because the GO in the composite improved the intermolecular crosslinking reaction. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry