Hostname: page-component-77c89778f8-sh8wx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-22T11:52:10.868Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Electrospinning and post-drawn processing effects on the molecular organization and mechanical properties of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 May 2019

David A. Brennan ,
Khosro Shirvani ,
Cailyn D. Rhoads ,
Samuel E. Lofland  and
Vince Z. Beachley Open the ORCID record for Vince Z. Beachley [Opens in a new window]
David A. Brennan
Affiliation:
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rowan University, 201 Mullica Hill Rd, Glassboro, NJ 08028, USA Department of Mechanical Engineering, Rowan University, 201 Mullica Hill Rd, Glassboro, NJ 08028, USA
Khosro Shirvani
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Rowan University, 201 Mullica Hill Rd, Glassboro, NJ 08028, USA
Cailyn D. Rhoads
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Engineering, Rowan University, 201 Mullica Hill Rd, Glassboro, NJ 08028, USA
Samuel E. Lofland
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Rowan University, 201 Mullica Hill Rd, Glassboro, NJ 08028, USA
Vince Z. Beachley*
Affiliation:
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rowan University, 201 Mullica Hill Rd, Glassboro, NJ 08028, USA
*
Address all correspondence to Vince Z. Beachley at beachley@rowan.edu
Get access

Abstract

This paper reports the molecular organization and mechanical properties of electrospun, post-drawn polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers. Without post-drawing, the polymer chain was kinked and oriented in hexagonal crystalline structures. Immediate post-drawing in the semi-solid state disrupted the crystal structures and chain kink at maximum draw ratio. Structural re-orientation at maximum draw resulted in a 500% increase in Young's modulus and a 100% increase in ultimate tensile strength. By applying post-drawing to electrospinning it may be possible to obtain PAN fibers and PAN-derived carbon fibers with enhanced mechanical properties compared to available fabrication technologies.

Type
Research Letters
Information
MRS Communications , Volume 9 , Issue 2 , June 2019 , pp. 764 - 772
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2019 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1.Zhang, L., Aboagye, A., Kelkar, A., Lai, C., and Fong, H.: A review: carbon nanofibers from electrospun polyacrylonitrile and their applications. J. Mater. Sci. 49, 463–480 (2013).Google Scholar
2.Fitzer, E.: Pan-based carbon fibers—present state and trend of the technology from the viewpoint of possibilities and limits to influence and to control the fiber properties by the process parameters. Carbon. N. Y. 27, 621–645 (1989).Google Scholar
3.Griffith, A.A.: The phenomena of rupture and flow in solids. Transactions of the ASM 61, 855–906 (1968).Google Scholar
4.Zeng, X., Hu, J., Zhao, J., Zhang, Y., and Pan, D.: Investigating the jet stretch in the wet spinning of PAN fiber. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 106, 2267–2273 (2007).Google Scholar
5.Moncrieff, R.W.: Man-made fibres. (1975).Google Scholar
6.Wang, X., Zhang, K., Zhu, M., Hsiao, B.S., and Chu, B.: Enhanced mechanical performance of self-bundled electrospun fiber yarns via post-treatments. Macromol. Rapid Commun. 29, 826–831 (2008).Google Scholar
7.Reneker, D.H., Yarin, A.L., Fong, H., and Koombhongse, S.: Bending instability of electrically charged liquid jets of polymer solutions in electrospinning. J. Appl. Phys. 87, 4531–4547 (2000).Google Scholar
8.Xie, Z., Niu, H., and Lin, T.: Continuous polyacrylonitrile nanofiber yarns: preparation and dry-drawing treatment for carbon nanofiber production. RSC Adv. 5, 15147–15153 (2015).Google Scholar
9.Arshad, S.N., Naraghi, M., and Chasiotis, I.: Strong carbon nanofibers from electrospun polyacrylonitrile. Carbon. N. Y. 49, 1710–1719 (2011).Google Scholar
10.Yao, J., Bastiaansen, C.W., and Peijs, T.: High strength and high modulus electrospun nanofibers. Fibers 2, 158–186 (2014).Google Scholar
11.Bahl, O.P., Mathur, R.B., and Kundra, K.D.: Structure of PAN fibres and its relationship to resulting carbon fibre properties. Fibre Sci. Technol. 15, 147–151 (1981).Google Scholar
12.Sawai, D., Fujii, Y., and Kanamoto, T.: Development of oriented morphology and tensile properties upon superdawing of solution-spun fibers of ultra-high molecular weight poly(acrylonitrile). Polymer 47, 4445–4453 (2006).Google Scholar
13.Fennessey, S.F. and Farris, R.J.: Fabrication of aligned and molecularly oriented electrospun polyacrylonitrile nanofibers and the mechanical behavior of their twisted yarns. Polymer 45, 4217–4225 (2004).Google Scholar
14.Brennan, D.A., Jao, D., Siracusa, M.C., Wilkinson, A.R., Hu, X., and Beachley, V.Z.: Concurrent collection and post-drawing of individual electrospun polymer nanofibers to enhance macromolecular alignment and mechanical properties. Polymer 103, 243–250 (2016).Google Scholar
15.White, J.L. and Spuiell, J.E.: The specification of orientation and its development in polymer processing. Polymer Eng. Sci. 23, 247–256 (1983).Google Scholar
16.Naraghi, M., Arshad, S.N., and Chasiotis, I.: Molecular orientation and mechanical property size effects in electrospun polyacrylonitrile nanofibers. Polymer 52, 1612–1618 (2011).Google Scholar
17.Chen, J.C.: Modification of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) carbon fiber precursor stretching in DMF. Carbon. N. Y. 40, 20 (2001).Google Scholar
18.Fried, J.R.: Polymer Science and technology (Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2014).Google Scholar
19.Young, R. and Lovell, P.: Introduction to Polymers. (2011).Google Scholar
20.Bohn, C., Schaefgen, J., and Statton, W.: Laterally ordered polymers: polyacrylonitrile and poly (vinyl trifluoroacetate). J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 55, 531–549 (1961).Google Scholar
21.Liu, X.D. and Ruland, W.: X-ray studies on the structure of polyacrylonitrile fibers. Macromolecules 26, 3030–3036 (1993).Google Scholar
22.Bashir, Z.: The hexagonal mesophase in atactic polyacrylonitrile: a new interpretation of the phase transitions in the polymer. J. Macromol. Sci., Part B 40, 41–67 (2001).Google Scholar
23.Anghelina, V.F., Popescu, I.V., Gaba, A., Popescu, I.N., Despa, V., and Ungureanu, D.: Structural analysis of PAN fiber by X-ray diffraction. J. Sci. Arts 10, 89 (2010).Google Scholar
24.Song, Z., Hou, X., Zhang, L., and Wu, S.: Enhancing crystallinity and orientation by hot-stretching to improve the mechanical properties of electrospun partially aligned polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanocomposites. Materials. (Basel) 4, 621–632 (2011).Google Scholar
25.Esrafilzadeh, D., Jalili, R., and Morshed, M.: Crystalline order and mechanical properties of as-electrospun and post-treated bundles of uniaxially aligned polyacrylonitrile nanofiber. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 110, 3014–3022 (2008).Google Scholar
26.Oota, T., Kunugi, T., and Yabuki, K.: High Strength and High Modulus Fibers (Kyouritsu, Tokyo, 1988).Google Scholar
27.Lai, C., Zhong, G., Yue, Z., Chen, G., Zhang, L., Vakili, A., Wang, Y., Zhu, L., Liu, J., and Fong, H.: Investigation of post-spinning stretching process on morphological, structural, and mechanical properties of electrospun polyacrylonitrile copolymer nanofibers. Polymer 52, 519–528 (2011).Google Scholar
28.Wu, S.Z., Zhang, F., Hou, X.X., and Yang, X.P.: Stretching-induced Orientation for Improving the Mechanical Properties of Electrospun Polyacrylonitrile Nanofiber Sheet (Trans Tech Publ., Switzerland, 2008) pp. 1169–1172.Google Scholar
29.Gu, S.-Y., Wu, Q.-L., Ren, J., and Vancso, G.J.: Mechanical properties of a single electrospun fiber and its structures. Macromol. Rapid Commun. 26, 716–720 (2005).Google Scholar
30.An, N., Xu, Q., Xu, L.H., and Wu, S.Z.: Orientation Structure and Mechanical Properties of Polyacrylonitrile precursors (Trans Tech Publ., Switzerland, 2006) pp. 383–386.Google Scholar
31.Liao, C.-C., Wang, C.-C., Chen, C.-Y., and Lai, W.-J.: Stretching-induced orientation of polyacrylonitrile nanofibers by an electrically rotating viscoelastic jet for improving the mechanical properties. 52, 2263–2275 (2011).Google Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Brennan et al. supplementary material

Brennan et al. supplementary material 1

Download Brennan et al. supplementary material(File)
File 18.7 KB