No abstract

A continuous stabilization and two-stage carbonization process was used to prepare polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based carbon fibers. The effect of pre-carbonization (300 to 550°C) on the final properties and microstructure of carbon fibers was measured. Experimental results using a n X-ray diffractometer indicated the presence of a less ordered structure at 2 0 from 5 to 18" in the pre-carbonized fibers and the final carbon fibers. This study found that the pre-carbonization process strongly affects the microstructure of the resulting carbon fibers. The results also showed that a suitable pre-carbonization was very conducive to improvement in tensile strength or in Young's modulus of the final carbon fibers. When the final carbon fiber was pre-carbonized at 300 and 550°C. respectively, these fibers had a higher tensile strength and higher Young's modulus than carbon fibers precarbonized at other conditions.