Impact of Alternative Stabilization Strategies for the Production of PAN-Based Carbon Fibers with High Performance

Abstract

The aim of this work is to review a possible correlation of composition, thermal processing, and recent alternative stabilization technologies to the mechanical properties. The chemical microstructure of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) is discussed in detail to understand the influence in thermomechanical properties during stabilization by observing transformation from thermoplastic to ladder polymer. In addition, relevant literature data are used to understand the comonomer composition effect on mechanical properties. Technologies of direct fiber heating by irradiation have been recently involved and hold promise to enhance performance, reduce processing time and energy consumption. Carbon fiber manufacturing can provide benefits by using higher comonomer ratios, similar to textile grade or melt-spun PAN, in order to cut costs derived from an acrylonitrile precursor, without suffering in regard to mechanical properties. Energy intensive processes of stabilization and carbonization remain a challenging field of research in order to reduce both environmental impact and cost of the wide commercialization of carbon fibers (CFs) to enable their broad application.

The impact of guanidine carbonate incorporation on the molecular structure of polyacrylonitrile precursor fiber stabilized by a multistep heat treatment strategy

“…According to the literature, the stabilized fiber density should be between 1.34 and 1.39 g cm −3 . [ 49 ] Therefore, calculating the stabilized fiber volume density gives a good indication of the development of the thermal stabilization process. As in similar studies, it was observed that the volume density increased as the thermal stabilization time increased.…”

“…[47,48] For this reason, studies on alternative stabilization strategies have been reported that reduce overall production costs. [49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60] These optimized strategies have become significant at the present time due to the reduction of processing duration by accelerating the thermal stabilization process. In this study, oxidative thermal stabilization of PAN fibers was carried out after employing a chemical pretreatment with GC.…”

Introduction of a Methodology to Enhance the Stabilization Process of PAN Fibers by Modeling and Advanced Characterization

“…Since apart from cyclization no other reaction induces chemical shrinkage, the chemical properties of PAN fibers during stabilization are described by modeling chemical shrinkage and cyclization, that induce stereochemical rearrangement. There are numerous references in literature that evaluate stabilization progress by the degree of cyclization in order to optimize the mechanical properties after carbonization [52].…”

The Effect of Alcohol Precipitants on Structural and Morphological Features and Thermal Properties of Lyocell Fibers

“…In aviation, automotive, and green energy (wind turbines) industries, CF are used to produce low weight parts. In the nuclear industry, CF are not interchangeable in the construction of reactors, as insulation, where the key properties are resistant to high temperatures and pressure and radioactive radiation [2][3][4].…”